Remote Sensing to Detect Greenbug Infestations in Wheat

The greenbug is a severe insect pest of wheat. There is a need and market for new greenbug integrated pest management (IPM) decision-making tools. A critical component of an IPM program is a method to monitor fields to determine if there is a pest problem. Traditional field-based greenbug monitoring is not cost effective. We propose to develop an aircraft based multi-spectral imaging system to identify fields with greenbug infestations and to delineate the spatial boundaries of infestations in fields. The monitoring system would be cost effective, and fields could be treated with insecticide when, and where, needed using a "site-specific" IPM approach. Phase I objectives are to: (1) obtain high spatial resolution multi-spectral images of greenbug infested winter wheat fields using the SST Crop Reflectance Imaging System (SSTCRIS); (2) perform simultaneous ground-based reference sampling of greenbug infestations and damage in fields; (3) use spatial interpolation techniques to create maps of greenbug density and plant damage from ground-based reference sampling data from the fields; and (4) use statistical methods to assess the degree of agreement between the remotely sensed and ground-based maps.