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ARS Home » Plains Area » Brookings, South Dakota » Integrated Cropping Systems Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #323820
Title: Pest measurement and management

Author
item CLAY, SHARON - South Dakota State University
item French, Bryan
item MATHEW, FABINA - South Dakota State University

Submitted to: Book Chapter
Publication Type: Book / Chapter
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/26/2017
Publication Date: 5/15/2018
Citation: Clay, S.A., French, B.W., Mathew, F.M. 2018. Pest measurement and management. In: Shannon, D.K, Clay, D.E., and Kitchen, N.R., editors. Precision Agriculture Basics. https://doi:10.2134/precisionagbasics.2016.0090.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2134/precisionagbasics.2016.0090

Interpretive Summary: The distribution and abundance of crop pests vary spatially and temporally often making them difficult to monitor and manage. Site-specific management employs techniques to locate and reduce pest population numbers while minimizing the use of pesticides. In this chapter we discuss methods used to scout for grass and insect pests as well as plant or crop diseases. For example, to manage plant diseases, optical sensor technologies may be implemented for resistance breeding in the field and screening of new chemical compounds (e.g. fungicides) under controlled conditions. However, sensor use for fungicide application under field conditions depends on the spread of disease and pathogen dispersal as well as the availability of effective fungicides to prevent the disease level from exceeding the economic threshold level. To be successful, remote sensing technologies must be accompanied by a good conventional scouting program and the benefits of the improvements in management must outweigh the cost of this technology as well as the additional time spent in management. However, management improvements, for current and future seasons, can outweigh the cost. Yield maps at the end of the season can be compared with in-season aerial imagery to help in future scouting efforts.

Technical Abstract: Pest scouting, whether it is done only with ground scouting methods or using remote sensing with some ground-truthing, is an important tool to aid site-specific crop management. Different pests may be monitored at different times and using different methods. Remote sensing has the potential to provide real-time analysis to detect problem areas in fields that can assist in making timely management decisions that affect yield but ground-truth should be done to verify the problem in order to make the correct decision. For example, to manage plant diseases, optical sensor technologies may be implemented for resistance breeding in the field and screening of new chemical compounds (e.g. fungicides) under controlled conditions. However, sensor use for fungicide application under field conditions depends on the spread of disease and pathogen dispersal as well as the availability of effective fungicides to prevent the disease level from exceeding the economic threshold level. To be successful, remote sensing technologies must be accompanied by a good conventional scouting program and the benefits of the improvements in management must outweigh the cost of this technology as well as the additional time spent in management. However, management improvements, for current and future seasons, can outweigh the cost. Yield maps at the end of the season can be compared with in-season aerial imagery to help in future scouting efforts.