SSMG-27 (M. M. Ellsbury and R. Krell)

Spatial Variability in Corn and Soybean Insect Pests: Precision Farming and Insect Pest Management for the Future

Summary:

Public and private research effort is being invested in site-specific insect pest management, but progress in this area lags behind other aspects of site-specific agriculture. Intensive grid-sampled information about insect dispersion in soybean and corn fields provides valuable knowledge, but the usefulness of the information is overshadowed by problems related to implementing precision farming programs for insects. The existence of field level spatial variability in populations of key pests of soybean and corn suggests that a site-specific approach to IPM is possible. The necessary GIS/GPS capabilities are available, but have not been effectively combined into systems incorporating economical scouting methods or real-time monitoring and mapping of pest variability. It has been suggested that optical sensors might be applied to detection of canopy-dwelling insect pests such as the bean leaf beetle. Targeted sampling can be directed by analysis of remotely sensed aerial images that identify anomalous areas indicative of severe pest infestations, provided the cost of the imagery can be kept at reasonable levels and still provide rapid turn around. It will take time to overcome the barriers associated with site-specific insect management, but because of the potential benefits of this technology, research in this area will continue to move forward.

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