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ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Insect Control and Cotton Disease Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #302167

Title: Temporal variability of spectral reflectance and estimated canopy cover of cotton plants supports early detection of potential boll weevil infestations

Author
item Westbrook, John
item Suh, Charles
item Yang, Chenghai
item Eyster, Ritchie

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/29/2014
Publication Date: 4/21/2014
Citation: Westbrook, J.K., Suh, C.P., Yang, C., Eyster, R.S. 2014. Temporal variability of spectral reflectance and estimated canopy cover of cotton plants supports early detection of potential boll weevil infestations [abstract]. Proceedings of the Beltwide Cotton Conferences. p. 863-868.

Interpretive Summary: Boll weevils may infest cotton fields when plants begin to produce squares, but eradication program managers may not be notified of fields that have been planted with cotton until after plants are already blooming. Because pheromone traps become much less effective in detecting weevil populations when plants begin to produce fruiting structures, early detection of these potential host fields is critically needed to expedite eradication in South Texas. We acquired a temporal sequence of airborne multispectral images of experimental cotton plots and six production cotton fields from planting until first bloom. Multispectral images of cotton fields were analyzed to associate characteristic spectral reflectance values with plant width. Timely areawide detection of pre-fruiting cotton will aid eradication programs in identifying, mapping, and trapping cotton fields, and, subsequently, reduce the incidence of boll weevil populations escaping detection.

Technical Abstract: Boll weevils may infest cotton fields when plants begin to produce squares, but eradication program managers may not be notified of fields that have been planted with cotton until after plants are already blooming. Because pheromone traps become much less effective in detecting weevil populations when plants begin to produce fruiting structures, early detection of these potential host fields is critically needed to expedite eradication in South Texas. We acquired a temporal sequence of airborne multispectral images of experimental cotton plots and six production cotton fields from planting until first bloom. Multispectral images of cotton fields were analyzed to associate characteristic spectral reflectance values with plant width. Timely areawide detection of pre-fruiting cotton will aid eradication programs in identifying, mapping, and trapping cotton fields, and, subsequently, reduce the incidence of boll weevil populations escaping detection.