Abstract
Remote sensing was used in a series of experiments over a three-year period to obtain spectral reflectance data for studying differences in vegetation indices between grasses, broadleaf plants, and grass/broadleaf plant mixtures. Selected non-crop winter and spring host plants of tarnished plant bug, Lygus lineolaris, were planted in field-plot experiments. Multispectral reflectance data were aerially acquired with both a Real-Time Digital Airborne Camera System (RDACS) sensor and Geospatial Systems (Duncan Tech) MS-2100 multispectral camera. The following six vegetation indices of spectral reflectance were evaluated in this study: normalized difference vegetation index, ratio vegetation index, green normalized difference vegetation index, green vegetation index, green ratio vegetation index, and Ashburn vegetation index. Vegetation indices calculated with imagery data for the grasses and broadleaves differed significantly; there appeared to be more discriminating differences between vegetation indices for grasses and broadleaf plants when the indices were based on a combination of green and near infrared or green and red spectral bands than when the indices were based on red and near infrared spectral bands. Insect data from these studies confirm that tarnished plant bug prefers broadleaf host plants, but can use Italian ryegrass for food and reproduction. The narrow temporal window of host suitability for Italian ryegrass may limit its significance. Herbicide destruction of broadleaf host plants in early spring prevented the tarnished plant bug population increases that occurred in untreated plots. Findings of this study would be useful in site-specific vegetation management decisions in programs such as the prototypical area-wide tarnished plant bug management experiment conducted in the Delta region of Mississippi.
Highlights
Tarnished plant bug has become the key pest of cotton in many cotton-producing areas of the United States
For vegetation indices that were based on reflectance in red and near infrared bands, i.e. NDVI, RVI, and AVI
The following conclusions can be made based on results of our study: 1. Vegetation indices calculated from multispectral imagery data showed statistically significant differences in all mean vegetation index values among the four broadleaf species compared with four grass species in the pure stands
Summary
Tarnished plant bug has become the key pest of cotton in many cotton-producing areas of the United States. Pest status of tarnished plant bug has changed in many areas from a short-term early-season pest to being the primary reason for insecticide applications throughout the growing season. The evolution of tarnished plant bug from an occasional pest to the key pest of cotton in many cotton-producing areas reduces other potential values of boll weevil eradication and transgenic Bt technology, e.g., benefits such as reduced adverse environmental residues of chemical pesticides, less selection for insecticide resistance, and greater preservation of natural enemies of pests. Increasing tarnished plant bug control frequency, difficulty and cost are important in areas where large investments have been made in boll weevil eradication and transgenic Bt technology. McKinion et al [6] saw the potential for targeted or site specific application for control, and developed technology for using geographic information system-based map scouting and special techniques to obtain low-level insect population counts in both rapidly growing and poorer growing areas of cotton
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