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Title: Using airborne multispectral imagery to monitor cotton root rot expansion within a growing season

Author
item Yang, Chenghai
item ODVODY, GARY - Texas Agrilife Research
item FERNANDEZ, CARLOS - Texas Agrilife Research
item LANDIVAR, JUAN - Texas Agrilife Research
item MINZENMAYER, RICHARD - Texas Agrilife Research
item NICHOLS, ROBERT - Cotton, Inc

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/18/2011
Publication Date: 4/15/2011
Citation: Yang, C., Odvody, G.N., Fernandez, C.J., Landivar, J.A., Minzenmayer, R.R., Nichols, R.L. 2011. Using airborne multispectral imagery to monitor cotton root rot expansion within a growing season. National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference. CDROM.

Interpretive Summary: Cotton root rot is a serious and destructive disease that affects cotton production in the southwestern United States. This study employed airborne multispectral imagery to monitor the progression of cotton root rot in cotton fields near Edroy and San Angelo, Texas. Airborne multispectral imagery was taken from these fields 2-4 times during the 2010 growing season. Image analysis results showed that cotton root rot expanded in different patterns and at different rates over the growing season. The results from this study will be useful for the understanding of the progression of the disease and for the development of site-specific treatment plans for the disease.

Technical Abstract: Cotton root rot is a serious and destructive disease that affects cotton production in the southwestern United States. Accurate delineation of cotton root rot infestations is important for cost-effective management of the disease. The objective of this study was to use airborne multispectral imagery for detecting and monitoring the expansion of root rot infestations within cotton fields during a growing season. A number of cotton fields near Edroy and San Angelo, Texas were selected for this study. Airborne multispectral digital imagery with blue, green, red and near-infrared bands was taken from these fields 2-4 times during the 2010 growing season. The imagery for two fields from each of the two locations was georeferenced, classified into 2-12 spectral classes using unsupervised classification techniques, and then grouped into root rot-infested and non-infested zones. The infested areas within each field were determined for each imaging date and compared among the different dates. Both airborne imagery and ground observations showed that cotton root rot expanded in different patterns and at different rates over the growing season. Towards the end of the growing season, the percentage of root rot-infested areas increased to 13.6% and 21.6% in the two fields in Edroy, and to 40.4% and 52.3% in the two fields in San Angelo. The results from this study will be useful for the understanding of the progression of the disease and for the development of site-specific treatment plans for the disease.