Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » College Station, Texas » Southern Plains Agricultural Research Center » Crop Germplasm Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #90530
Title: AIRBORNE VIDEO MONITORING OF ROOT-KNOT NEMATODE DAMAGE IN KENAF

Author
item Cook, Charles
item Escobar, David
item Everitt, James
item Robinson, Arin
item Cavazos Iii, Isabel
item Davis, Michael

Submitted to: Proceedings, 1998 American Kenaf Society Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/8/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: The rapid growing, tall plant growth habit of kenaf and sunn hemp, as well as the dense plant populations commonly used in commercial production, make visual ground-level detection of crop injury difficult without extensive, labor-intensive efforts. Evaluations were made across 1996-1997 to determine if airborne video imagery would be effective for detecting and monitoring crop injury and plant stress in kenaf and sunn hemp. The studies indicated that airborne video CIR imagery has good potential in monitoring a growing kenaf and sunn hemp crop, as well as, identifying plant stress and problem field areas. Specifically, video imagery was shown to be useful for detecting initial plant stress and for monitoring the spread of RKN damage. In addition, it appeared that kenaf and sunn hemp could be separated with airborne video imagery technology. The potential to have less labor intensive techniques for identifying and monitoring crop stress and problem field areas should be very beneficial i regards to crop management, determining the time of harvest, and in the selection of future planting sites. 

Technical Abstract: The tall plant growth habit of kenaf (Hibiscus cannabinus) and sunn hemp (Crotalaria juncea) and the high plant densities used in commercial production can make detection of plant injury and crop stress very difficult. Since airborne video imagery has been used to detect plant injury in several crop species, the potential of utilizing this technology in kenaf and crotalaria production was evaluated in a field study in Weslaco, Texas. Results from 1996-1997 indicated that video imagery had good potential for detecting plant stress in kenaf caused by the root-knot nematode (Meloidogyne incognita)/soil-borne fungi complex. Sunn hemp, which is resistant to root-knot nematodes showed very little stress. The video imagery indicated that remote sensing technology can offer an effective method for the detection and seasonal monitoring of plant injury and disease movement in kenaf production. Airborne video imagery should be ea rapid means of detecting problematic areas in large-scale plantings of kenaf and the same should be true for sunn hemp. Identification of these problematic field areas would be very beneficial in regards to crop management and for selecting the location of future planting sites.