Spatially variable insecticide in cotton production: the role for remote sensing

摘要

Pesticides are the most expensive controllable cost of cotton production to the American farmer. This expense may be significantly reduced through remote sensing. As part of the agricultural remote sensing research supported by the NASA Commercial Remote Sensing Program (CRSP) at Stennis Space Center, Mississippi, ITD-Spectral Visions is experimenting with remote-sensing-based techniques to guide spatially variable insecticide application at Perthshire Farms in the Mississippi Delta. USDA-ARS research suggests that vibrant cotton plants, as indicated in remotely sensed imagery, are often infested with plant bugs (Heteroptera: Miridae), which target these areas first and radiate outward as the plants mature and produce squares (flower buds). These areas of early first-square development may be identified through remote sensing and developed into an on/off prescription map for spot-spraying with GPS-equipped farm equipment, eliminating most insects with a minimal amount of pesticide before serious infestation occurs. The technique was field-tested on 1023 acres of cotton during the 1999 growing season.