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Title: USING GROUND-BASED MULTISPECTRAL RADIOMETRY TO DETECT STRESS IN WHEAT CAUSED BY GREENBUG (HOMOPTERA: APHIDIDAE) INFESTATION

Author
item YANG, ZHIMING - OKLAHOMA STATE UNIV
item RAO, MAHESH - OKLAHOMA STATE UNIV
item Elliott, Norman - Norm
item Kindler, Dean - Dean
item Popham, Thomas

Submitted to: Computers and Electronics in Agriculture
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/20/2004
Publication Date: 5/1/2005
Citation: Yang, Z., Rao, M.N., Elliott, N.C., Kindler, D., Popham, T.W. 2005. Using ground-based multispectral radiometry to detect stress in wheat caused by greenbug (Homoptera: Aphididae) infestation. Computers and Electronics in Agriculture. 47:121-135. Available: http://www.sciencedirect.com.

Interpretive Summary: Greenbugs are an important pest of wheat and grain sorghum and can cause yield reductions of the crops if not controlled when economic numbers occur. A means of detecting greenbug infestation early is necessary to reduce damage and could be incorporated into a management system for wheat and sorghum production. A study was conducted using a hand-held Cropscan radiometer to measure plant stress in wheat caused by greenbugs. Plant stress was measured by collecting reflectance data derived from vegetation indices from the 16 bands of the radiometer. The results of the study indicated that greenbug induced stress could be measured by the Cropscan radiometer. Bands located at 800 nm and 694 nm were found to be the most sensitive for detecting greenbug induced feeding damage. Broad Landsat TM bands and derived vegetation indices also showed promise as a means of measuring greenbug induced damage to wheat plants.

Technical Abstract: Greenbug (Schizaphis graminum Rondani) outbreaks appear in the Great Plains almost every year and have had significant economic impacts on wheat and sorghum yields. Early detection of greenbug infestation becomes a critical part of integrated pest management (IPM) for wheat and sorghum production. We conducted a pilot study to determine the feasibility of using remote sensing techniques to detect stress in wheat caused by greenbug infestation. The purpose of this study was to characterize stress in wheat caused by greenbug infestation using a hand-held Cropscan radiometer. Reflectance data and derived vegetation indices from the 16 bands of the radiometer were analyzed using SAS PROC MIXED statistical analysis procedures. Results show that it is possible to detect greenbug-induced stress in wheat using a hand-held radiometer, such as Cropscan. The band centered at 694 nm and the vegetation indices derived from bands centered at 800 nm and 694 nm were identified as most sensitive to damage due to greenbug infestation. Broad Landsat TM bands and derived vegetation indices also showed potential for detecting stress in wheat caused by greenbug infestation.