Precision Agriculture in Pest Management

1. Precision Agriculture in Pest Management Amber N. Brewe

2. What is it? • Precision Agriculture (site-specific) is a knowledge based technical management system that optimizes farm profits while decreasing the environmental impact. (UFL ext.) • Integrated Pest Management (IPM) simultaneously limits economic damage, minimizes adverse effects on non-target organisms and the environment.

3. Why? • Provides excellent sources to make a more informed management decision. • Provides farmers more time to consider; • Crop Management • Yields • Profit • Gets the farmer involved!

4. Management threshold for pestiferous beetles in corn EIL # of pestiferous beetles ET Time: April May June July August Sept Economic threshold • Establishing an economic threshold for your field. Taken from Dr. Geenwood ENTO 2993; Pest Management and Biological Control

5. Elements of Pest Management • Soil Maps • Weed Identification • Insect Identification • Disease Identification • Arial Photographs/Yield Maps

6. Soil Maps • Soil moisture, pH, and CEC are key management factors. • Grid sampling strategies assist in targeting scouting attempts for pests by concentrating on high risk areas. Taken from http://nespal.cpes.peachnet.edu/pa

7. Site-Specific Weed Control • Goal: treat weeds where they are present and to treat with the appropriate chemical at the correct rate. • Spread through seed or vegetatively. • Identification of weed type and density is essential to post-emergence control.

8. Crop rotations Herbicide resistant crop programs. Modulated Spraying Nozzle Control (MSNC)- chemical application system that controls drift and application rate on the go. (Purdue) Electrostaticlly charged spray to induce droplet travel to pest with opposite charge. Weed Control Methods

9. Site-Specific Insect Control • Time of insect identification is critical. • Cultural, Biological and Chemical control methods • Examples: • BT Corn varieties • Controlling aphids with Lady Bugs. • Appling insecticide to effected areas leaving a corner of the field un-sprayed. • Modeling future insect out- breaks using grid sampling.

10. Modeling Using Grid Sampling • Identification of previous northern corn rootworm populations. • Lowest adult emergence in low lying wet areas or on ridge tops. • Highest adult emergence in well drained soils. Taken fromInternational Plant Nutrition Institute

11. Site-Specific Disease Control • Design a fungicide application that would control an out-break and prevent spreading. • Areas with visible and latent infections could be treated with a systemic fungicide. • Areas with invisible latent infections and areas around the infection wave could be treated with a protectant fungicide. • Saves money and prevents the pathogen from developing a resistance. • Use of spectrometer readings currently being researched. • Modeling future out-breaks by recording precipitation and temperature.

12. Using Arial Photography and Yield Maps • Can evaluate current pest issues via pest density and location. • Provides evidence of areas reaching economic injury level. • Population level which pest damage=control cost. • Multiple years of yield data can verify if using site-specific management increases crop yields.

13. Summary • Know your soil. • Weed infestations can be monitored year to year. • Insect and Disease tend to be more difficult to monitor being they tend to be sporadic. • Site-specific IPM has the ability to spot treat areas needed for pest control. • “Ability to manage a healthier crop by adjusting needed inputs within the field rather than at the field level.” (Wright, 2009)

14. Work Cited • http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/AG186 • http://www.ipni.net/ppiweb/ppibase.nsf/b369c6dbe705dd13852568e3000de93d/47645e18bfdc7e2285256966006489a5/$FILE/SSMG-27.pdf • http://www.ces.purdue.edu/extmedia/AE/SSM-5-W.pdf • Greenwood, Carmen. Pest Management and Biological Control. ENTO 2993. 4-2-2008. • http://www.epa.gov/opp00001/factsheets/ipm.htm

15. Questions?