Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Aerial Application Technology Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #337860
Title: Site-specific management of cotton root rot using airborne and satellite imagery

Author
item Yang, Chenghai
item ODVODY, GARY - Texas A&M Agrilife
item THOMASSON, JOHN - Texas A&M University
item ISAKEIT, THOMAS - Texas A&M University
item DRAKE, DAVID - Texas A&M Agrilife
item NICHOLS, ROBERT - Cotton, Inc

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/30/2017
Publication Date: 5/1/2017
Citation: Yang, C., Odvody, G., Thomasson, J., Isakeit, T., Drake, D., Nichols, R. 2017. Site-specific management of cotton root rot using airborne and satellite imagery. National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference. pp. 368-373. CD-ROM.

Interpretive Summary: Cotton root rot is a serious cotton disease that can now be effectively controlled with Topguard Terra Fungicide. However, since this disease tends to occur in the same general areas within fields in recurring years, site-specific fungicide application only to the infected areas can be more effective and economical than uniform application. In 2015 we demonstrated how site-specific fungicide application could be implemented using historical airborne imagery and variable rate technology. In 2016 we conducted site-specific fungicide application at multiple fields based on both airborne and high resolution satellite imagery. Two years of field experiments showed that either airborne or satellite imagery could be used to create prescription maps for site-specific fungicide application. The results of this research will provide cotton growers, crop consultants, and agricultural dealers with practical guidelines for implementing site-specific fungicide application using historical imagery and variable rate technology for effective management of cotton root rot.

Technical Abstract: Cotton root rot is a serious cotton disease that can now be effectively controlled with Topguard Terra Fungicide. The objectives of this research were to demonstrate how site-specific fungicide application could be implemented based on historical remote sensing imagery and variable rate technology. Procedures were developed for creating binary prescription maps from historical airborne and satellite imagery. Two different variable rate liquid control systems were adapted to two existing cotton planters, respectively, for site-specific fungicide application at planting. One system was used for site-specific application on two fields in 2015 and two different fields in 2016 near Edroy, Texas and the other system on two fields in both years near San Angelo, Texas. Airborne multispectral imagery taken during the growing seasons was used to monitor the performance of the site-specific treatments. Two years of field experiments showed that the variable rate systems performed well and site-specific fungicide treatments effectively controlled cotton root rot. Any newly infected areas identified by the imagery will be added to the prescription maps for future use. The results of this research will provide cotton growers, crop consultants, and agricultural dealers with practical guidelines for implementing site-specific fungicide application using historical imagery and variable rate technology for effective management of cotton root rot.