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ARS Home » Plains Area » Brookings, South Dakota » Integrated Cropping Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #151036
Title: USING GIS IN AREAWIDE PEST MANAGEMENT: A CASE STUDY IN SOUTH DAKOTA

Author
item Beckler, Amber
item French, Bryan
item Chandler, Laurence - Larry

Submitted to: Transactions in Geographic Information Systems
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/7/2005
Publication Date: 3/7/2005
Citation: Beckler, A.A., French, B.W., Chandler, L.D. Using gis in areawide pest management: a case study in south dakota. Transactions in Geographic Information Systems, 2005, 9(2): 109-127.

Interpretive Summary: Corn rootworms (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) create economic and environmental concerns in the Corn Belt region of the United States. To supplement areawide pest management programs, we believe that a better understanding of the spatial relationships between biological and physical factors at the landscape scale is needed. Our research used several geographical information systems (GIS) and techniques to examine relationships between corn rootworm dynamics, soil texture, and elevation. Within GIS, we used an interpolation technique, spatial autocorrelation analysis, and contingency analysis. Corn rootworm distributions were found to be clumped and related to soil texture and elevation. We review techniques and discuss our preferences for using certain procedures. The information derived from this paper demonstrates how GIS can be used in areawide pest management to provide inputs for population models to predict future pest populations and devise improved pest management decisions. The techniques decribed in this paper could easily be extended to study the spatial dynamics between other pest populations in agricultural landscapes.

Technical Abstract: Infestations of corn rootworms (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) create economic and environmental concerns in the Corn Belt region of the United States. To supplement the population control tactics of areawide pest management programs, we believe that a better understanding of the spatial relationships between biotic and abiotic or physical factors at the landscape scale is needed. Our research used several geographical information systems (GIS) and spatial analytical techniques to examine relationships between corn rootworm metapopulation dynamics, soil texture, and elevation. Within GIS, several spatially explicit procedures were used that include an interpolation technique, spatial autocorrelation analysis, and contingency analysis. Corn rootworm metapopulation distributions were found to be aggregated and related to soil texture and elevation. We review techniques and discuss our preferences for using particular spatially explicit procedures. The information derived from the spatial analyses deomonstrates how GIS can be used in areawide pest management to provide inputs for spatially explicit models to predict future pest populations and formulate more well-informed pest management decisions. The techniques described in this paper could easily be extended to study the spatial dynamics between other pest populations in agricultural landscapes.