Pest Situations Research Articles

Pest Early Detection in Greenhouse Using Machine Learning

Greenhouses are considered to be a favorable artificial environment separated from the outside. However, pests can still exist by the same plant sources that bring the pathogen. The conditions and abundant food in a greenhouse provide a stable environment for the pest development. Normally, the natural enemies that serve to keep pests under control outside are not present in the greenhouse, pest situations often develop in this indoor environment more rapidly and with greater severity than outdoors. Early detection and diagnosis of pests and diseases are key to managing greenhouse pests as well as selecting and applying appropriate pesticides when needed. The aim of this invention is to develop an intelligent pest early detection system using a convolutional neural network in the greenhouse. By using a pre-trained disease recognition model, we were able to perform deep transfer learning to produce a network that can predict with the precision above 90%.

A participative system methodology to model pest dynamics in an agricultural setting

PurposeThis study aims to identify the most relevant causal factors and the feedback loops of the dynamics between Tuta absoluta incidence in tomato crops and farmers' reactions to the problem. The authors seek to develop a conceptual model based on farmers' know-how to address crop damage by T. absoluta at a local and regional levels in order to determine how to confront this problem in the tomato-growing region of Sáchica, Colombia.Design/methodology/approachCommunity-Based System Dynamics (CBSD) is a participatory research methodology in which a group of stakeholders identifies relevant variables and the cause-effect relations among them which are then arranged into a causal loop diagram. The authors implemented this methodology in a workshop, focused on the farmers' insights related to the pest situation at the local and regional level, to achieve a causal loop diagram that explained pest dynamics and their potential management.FindingsThe relevant factors for the presence of T. absoluta, seen in the causal loop diagram, vary regionally and locally. At the local level, the pest impacts tomato production, farmers' well-being and their cash flow, while at the regional level, it affects market dynamics and environment and promotes regional coordination among farmers. Farmers propose product innocuity as a key regional objective. They also proposed establishing a planting calendar and census of greenhouses to control the pest throughout the region and the tomato supply.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, the synthesized model could not be validated with the farmers due to the COVID 19 epidemic. However, the authors held sessions with experts to analyze each result. Second, decision-makers from the local government did not participate in the workshop. Nevertheless, the approach of the workshop was aimed at understanding the mental models of the farmers since they are the ones who decide how pests are managed. Finally, even though farmers showed interest in projects aimed at proposing area-wide, long-term and wide pest control strategies, there is a risk that they will not adopt the proposed changes, due to risk aversion.Originality/valueCBSD has not been applied to agricultural systems to analyze impacts from pests at the local and regional levels. The results of this study contribute to designing future interventions for pest control in the region, along with the factors which may turn out to be “side effects” or unwanted results. To design pest control interventions at a regional level, a sound understanding of the variables or factors that control the system dynamics at various levels is required. This study represents the first step towards that end.

CultivData: Application of IoT to the Cultivation of Agricultural Data

CultivData proposes the convergence of technologies, such as IoT, big data, HPC, open data and artificial intelligence, to apply HPDA (High Performance Data Analytics) to the cultivation of agricultural data and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of farms. An information system has been developed as an IT platform for the cultivation of open data to extract knowledge and to support the decision making of stakeholders in the agricultural sector, so that it is possible to improve product quality and farm productivity. The resulting system integrates access to data provided by IoT devices that sensorize farms and public and open data sources (Open Data). The platform was designed to make precision agriculture a reality and to be useful not only to farmers, but also to agricultural decision-makers who plan species and crops based on data such as available water; expected weather; prices and market demands, and so forth. In addition, the platform provides to agricultural producers access to historical climate data; climate forecasts to anticipate times of drought or disasters; pest situations or monitoring of their plantations with sensorization and orthophotographs.

Research and Development of Insect Situation Data Intelligent Cloud Platform Using Geographic Information System

With the changes in climate, pest varieties and resistance to pesticides, pests have shown frequent and recurring characteristics, making the supply of major agricultural products and food security facing severe challenges. The key to preventing and controlling pests is to correctly identify the pests and then apply the correct drugs and doses. This paper uses cloud computing, artificial intelligence and big data technology to build a cloud platform for identification and early warning of pest situation. Users use smartphones as terminals to accurately identify crop pests and form a complete crop pest distribution database, which is conducive to grasping the rules of pest occurrence. It is conducive to targeted pest control and is conducive to improving the efficiency of pesticide application control, thereby increasing crop yields.

A pest sexual attraction monitoring system based on IoT and image processing

In order to improve the efficiency and timeliness of pest field sexual attraction monitoring and then improve the efficiency of crop pest forecasting, in this study, we improved the traditional method of sexual inducement by designing a remote insect trap image collection device with image collection, remote communication and other Internet of Things technologies. An image processing and counting method based on OpenCV cascade classifiers was constructed with remote sexual attraction images. A pest situation database was established, and a pest monitoring and early warning system was constructed. The application of the system is convenient for plant protection technicians to collect and query the pest monitoring data, as well as the release of the pest early warning information, and it does realize the informatization of crop pest monitoring and early warning.

The Venom Compound N-(3-methylbutyl)acetamide Attracts Several Polistes (Fuscopolistes) Species (Hymenoptera: Vespidae).

Polistes paper wasps in the Fuscopolistes subgenus (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) can be serious pests when they swarm at tall man-made structures. Chemical attractants may be useful to trap such paper wasps when they achieve pest status. Polistes venom has been shown to elicit a variety of behavioral responses in congeneric wasps, making it a source for potential chemical attractants. The compound N-(3-methylbutyl)acetamide is a principal volatile component in the venom of many female vespid wasps, including numerous Polistes species. We report the presence of N-(3-methylbutyl)acetamide in autumn gynes of Polistes metricus Say, Polistes bellicosus Cresson, and Polistes dorsalis (F.), as well as workers of Polistes aurifer (Saussure), P. bellicosus, P. metricus, and P. dorsalis. In field tests conducted in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and Washington, N-(3-methylbutyl)acetamide attracted male and female P. aurifer and P. metricus, as well as male P. dorsalis and P. bellicosus. Thus, N-(3-methylbutyl)acetamide may be a useful lure for trapping these paper wasps in pest situations.

Visual analysis of occurrence and control of forest pests with multi-view collaboration

Forest pests are an important aspect of forest pest prevention and control work. However, it is difficult for forest pest researchers to gain a comprehensive understanding of the occurrence and control of pests using traditional statistical methods. It is a considerable challenge to help researchers to find useful information from pest occurrence and control data. Combining features of forest pest occurrence, such as timing, geography, hierarchy, disaster grade and pest species, we propose a multi-view collaborative hybrid visual analysis method to analyze the occurrence and control of forest pests from multiple angles. On this basis, we design and realize a multi-view collaborative hybrid visual analysis system for the occurrence and control of forest pests. Via case studies on the test dataset using the developed system, we complete an omni-directional analysis of the overall situation of forest pests, the overall situation of a certain pest species, the overall situation of pests in a certain region, and the occurrence of a certain pest in a certain region. The experimental results show that the visualization technologies and interactive technologies used in the paper can effectively assist researchers in the analysis of related data, and it is also demonstrated that the system is user-friendly and that the applied visualization methods are effective.

Associative Learning of Food Odors by the European Paper Wasp, Polistes dominula Christ (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)

We investigated associative learning of food odors by the European paper wasp Polistes dominula Christ (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) because of consistent low rates of attraction to food materials in laboratory assays. We hypothesized that wasps in nature exhibit nonspecific food-finding behavior until locating a suitable food, and then respond more strongly and specifically to odors associated with that food reward. Female P. dominula workers exhibited higher rates of attraction in a flight tunnel to piped odors of fermented fruit purees following previous experience with that puree, compared to wasps with no prior experience with the fermented fruits. Attraction behavior included upwind-oriented flight and casting within the odor plume, indicative of chemoanemotaxis. Synthetic chemicals representative of volatiles P. dominula may encounter in nature while foraging was also tested. Similar increases in attraction responses occurred following feeding experience with a sugar solution that included either 3-methyl-1-butanol or pear ester, but not eugenol. These experimental results support the hypothesis of associative learning of food odors in P. dominula. We discuss the ecological relevance of our results and suggest an alternative approach to trap paper wasps in pest situations utilizing learned chemical attractants.

Anoplophora chinensis (Forster, 1771) (Coleoptera: Cerambycidae) found in Trabzon, Turkey; Its Description, Growth, and Damage

Aim of study : Pest situation of A. chinensis, that was firstly recorded in Trabzon, was investigated. Area of study: The study was conducted in Municipal ornamental plants stocking area and lab. Material and Methods: The developmental stages, morphological features and damage size of the insect was investigated in the field and laboratory from June to end of November. Main results: Adults were active from May to the end of August. Adults lived about 30 days. Average body lengths of females and males were 28.6 mm and 25.4 mm, with average antennae lengths of 31.1 and 44.1 mm, respectively. The average antenna length of female are 1,1 times as long as their bodies, and the average antenna of male 1,7 times as long as their bodies. Lenght of larva was measured as 6-7,5 mm in July and 24-37 mm at the end of November. The average length of larval holes in the wood was 3.81 cm before wintering and 11.94 cm at the end of the larval growth. The average volume of larval hole per larva in wood before larval wintering was 4.66 cm 3 , and 21.81 cm 3 at the end of larval growth. The circular exit holes on boles were, on average, 1.04 cm in diameter and at 5.18 (1-16.1) cm above the ground level. The average length of the larval holes in roots was 6.73 (5.2-15.5) cm below the ground level. Research highlights: Larval holes were observed up to 16.1 cm above and 15.5 cm below ground level within the wood. A total of 52 larvae that bored holes into the sapwood of six young trees consumed nearly 27 (26.98) percent of the stemwood, 12 (11.94) cm in length. Trees weakened by larval attack become readily susceptible to wind damage as the proportion of holes in the wood increases.

Effects of Planting Dates and Intra-Row Spacing on Field Infestation and Damage by Hemipteran Sucking Bugs on Soybean in Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria

Effects of Planting Dates and Intra-Row Spacing on Field Infestation and Damage by Hemipteran Sucking Bugs on Soybean in Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria A.A. Omoloye, A.O. Joda, F.O. Tobih Abstract Field experiments were conducted for two years in Ibadan, Southwest Nigeria to determine whether changing planting dates and intra-row spacing in sole soybean crop will reduce field infestation and seed damage by hemiptera sucking bugs. The layout was a split plot arranged in a randomized complete block. The main effects were three planting dates (mid-June, early July and late July), each consisting of four intra-row spacings (15, 20, 25, and 30cm). Results indicated lower (p<0.05) field infestation and seed damage in the early planted crop than in the late planted crop. A significantly higher (p<0.05) yield advantage (935.6 to 974.4 kg/a-1) at the same spacing. However, adoption of these results should be balanced with local pest situation, agronomic and environmental considerations. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/jaes.v4n1a17

HAZELNUT PESTS OF SILKROAD COUNTRIES, WITH SPECIFIC EMPHASIS ON PESTS OF GEORGIA

Hazelnut is a very important crop for some silkroad countries such as Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan. Insect and mite pests are major detriments to hazelnut production. More than several hundreds of insect and mite species have been found in hazelnut orchards up to today. About 10 insect and mite species are serious pests for hazelnut production, with changes among countries. These pests affect the yield and kernel quality as well as the health of trees. Nearly more than 20% losses are caused by hazelnut pests in orchards, with changes in countries and years. Hazelnut is a traditional crop of Georgia and hazelnut growing is enlarging over the past few years in this country. In the current paper, two main topics are considered about hazelnut pests: 1) important hazelnut pests of silkroad countries and their management, 2) current situation of hazelnut pests of Georgia, depending on the results of large scale survey carried out in Georgian hazelnut orchards in 2013. The survey was performed in four main hazelnut growing area, including Ajara, Guria, Samegrelo and Gali, with visiting various towns of each main district on each surveying date. Four main insect and mite pests including Hyphantria cunea, Curculio nucum, Phytoptus avellana and Obera linearis were selected and surveyed, depending on previous data and observations made in previous years. As a general result; H. cunea was very common in all regions in spite of lower population level compared to previous years. C. nucum damage ratio was very high in some parts of Guria especially with some local cultivars. P. avellana was very widespread in all surveyed districts, with reaching very high populations in some towns of Guria. High population of O. linearis was observed in the Gali district. All results according to pests, locations, surveying and sampling dates were given in this study with details.

Spray Parametric Determination and Testing of anAnimal Drawn Wheel-Axle CDA Boom Sprayer

Assorted techniques have been developed for warring against pests, but the most important innovation appears to be the use of chemicals which are now available for different pest situations. Many manual and motorized machines have been developed for crop protection. In Nigeria and especially in farming communities of the north, attempts have been geared towards the development of requisite animal drawn machines for on-farm spraying against pests. A ground metering Animal Drawn Controlled Droplet Applicator (CDA) Shrouded Disc Sprayer which ground metering is actuated by a wheel axle mechanism was designed and developed at the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR) workshop, Department of Agricultural Engineering, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. It was tested on a farm and the ground metering through an axle mechanism was found to be very operationally efficient. During the course of its development laboratory and workshop tests were carried out to determine the optimum spray height and nozzle spacingfor uniform distribution of herbicide. The values were 30cm, and 1.25m respectively. The pump discharge and boom swath as well as the application rate (l/ha) were also obtained. The equipment was constructed employing the spray components at the determined parameters and was consequently tested on the field.

Lista actualizada de aves dañinas en Costa Rica (2012)

En este documento se actualiza a 2012 la lista de aves que se consideran dañinas en Costa Rica, principalmente para la producción agrícola. Esta actualización considera información reciente, tanto de la condición de especie dañina como de cambios en la taxonomía de algunas especies. La lista está constituida por 63 especies, pertenecientes a 20 familias, siendo las más importantes las familias Icteridae, Psittacidae, Emberizidae, Columbidae y Cardinalidae. Los cultivos más frecuentemente afectados son los granos (sorgo, arroz y maíz). Urgen estudios sobre impacto como criterio para decidir si se justifica implementar planes de manejo.PALABRAS CLAVEVertebrados plaga, aves plaga, daños, producción agrícola, Icteridae, Psittacidae

The ipmPIPE: Overview, Lessons, Opportunities, and Challenges

The ipmPIPE (Integrated Pest Management Pest Information Platform for Extension and Education) was first developed as a response to the threat of soybean rust (SBR), caused by the pathogen Phakopsora pachyrhizi . Since that time the ipmPIPE portfolio has grown to include “PIPEs” for soybean aphid Aphis glycines Matsumura (now discontinued), legume diseases, cucurbit downy mildew caused by the pathogen Pseudoperonospora cubensis (Berk. & M.A. Curtis) Rostovzev, pecan nut casebearer Acrobasis nuxvorella Neunzig with pecan scab caused by Cladosporium caryigenum (Ellis & Langl.) (Gottwald forecasting in development), Southern corn rust caused by Puccinia polysora Underw., and onion pests. In addition, the Western Specialty Crops ipmPIPE, the North Central ipmPIPE, and the Pennsylvania PIPE each address multiple pest situations found within defined geographic boundaries and a PIPE is in development for ornamentals that will address multiple pathogens on multiple hosts. This report explains the general concept of the ipmPIPE approach and discusses common elements of most PIPEs. It provides a brief history of funding and development. Finally, it addresses crosscutting issues including suitability of this approach to different pest and crop combinations and sustainability.

Development of Silafluofen-Based Termiticides in Japan and Thailand.

With the advancement from natural pyrethrins to synthetic pyrethroids, their applications have expanded from household insecticides for indoor use against sanitary pests to outdoor use for agriculture, forestry, animal health, termite control, and many other pest situations. However, high fish toxicity and development of pyrethroid resistance in some pests have been cited as common shortcomings of pyrethroids. To overcome these pyrethroid problems such as high fish toxicity, Katsuda and fellow scientists invented silafluofen by introducing a silicone atom into the pyrethroidal chemical structure in 1984. In addition to the high insecticidal activity and low mammalian toxicity, this compound features low fish toxicity, chemical stability under sunlight, in the soil and under alkaline environments. These features make silafluofen unique among pyrethroids. In Japan, silafluofen has been used as an agricultural insecticide for 15 years since 1995 for various plants, especially useful for paddy rice protection because of its low fish toxicity. Over the last 20 years, silafluofen-based termiticides including emulsifiable concentrate (EC) and oil formulations have been widely used in Japan for soil treatment and timber treatments. Additional silafluofen product lines include anti-termitic plastic sheets which are laid under buildings. In this paper, literature on the development of silafluofen and its use in Japan are reviewed. On the other hand, in Thailand, we proceeded with development works of silafluofen-based termiticides from 2005 by starting laboratory efficacy tests and field efficacy tests in Phuket. Both laboratory and field tests showed good efficacy as a soil termiticide, suggesting that the material will perform well for commercial use in high biological hazard environments such as Thailand and can be used in environments close to water where fish toxicity might be a concern with other pyrethroids.

PM 8/2(1): Coniferae

PM 8/2(1): Coniferae

Farmers' perceptions of cassava pests and indigenous control methods in Cameroon

A survey of farmers' views on cassava pests was conducted in 61 locations in four cassava-producing agro-ecological zones in Cameroon. Farmers in all zones considered vertebrates, grasshoppers and cassava root rot as their most important pest and disease constraints. Weeds, although cited in all zones, received relatively low ratings. Damage caused by the cassava green mite (CGM) [Mononychellus tanajoa Bondar (Acari: Tetranychidae)], was recognized but its cause was unknown. The cassava root scale [(Stictococcus vayssierei Richard (Homoptera: Stictococcidae)] was important only in the semi-humid forest zone. Farmers control pests using cultural methods including trapping, scaring, poisoning and burning for vertebrates, hand picking for grasshoppers, and burning, hand weeding and long fallows for weeds. In most cases, root rot occurred after cassava reached maturity, and farmers recognized the importance of timely harvesting to control crop losses. Cassava diseases such as cassava mosaic disease (CMD), cassava anthracnose disease (CAD), and cassava bacterial blight (CBB), although recognized, were not considered as serious constraints. However, entomologists and the other researchers found CGM to be the most important arthropod pest overall, causing serious damage to cassava. Damage due to vertebrates was also found but not to the extent that farmers reported. It was apparent that farmers considered highly visible pests such as vertebrates and grasshoppers more important than less visible ones such as CGM. The need to educate farmers about small arthropod pests and their damage/importance was clear. Therefore IPM programmes aimed at cassava pests should involve consideration both of the importance farmers attach to each pest and of the education farmers receive concerning the prevailing pest situation.

Effect of tillage on termites, weed incidence and productivity of spring wheat in rice–wheat system of North Western Indian plains

Weeds and termites are the important pests of wheat in North West India affecting yields. With the introduction of new tillage systems for growing wheat, the pest situation is likely to change due to a change in microclimate. Studies were thus undertaken to evaluate the effect of tillage options in rice and wheat on the incidence of termites and weeds in wheat ( Triticum aestivum L. emend. Fiori and Paol.). For wheat, four tillage options, i.e., conventional, FIRBS (furrow irrigated raised bed-planting system), zero tillage and rotary tillage; were superimposed on four tillage options in rice (conventional puddling with harrow, dry field preparation with harrow, dry field preparation with rotavator and puddling with rotavator). The incidence of termites was significantly higher in FIRBS compared to other three tillage options for growing wheat, whereas tillage in rice had no effect. Similarly, the weed population was influenced by tillage options. Dicot weeds increased in zero tillage while FIRBS and conventional tillage had more monocot weeds. The incidence of termites was higher during the drier year. Tillage practices in rice had no effect on wheat during both years but tillage in wheat significantly affected its yield with the highest recorded from rotary tillage.

Number of efficacy trials

Number of efficacy trials

Effect of planting options and irrigation schedules on development of powdery mildew and yield of wheat in the North Western plains of India

Powdery mildew (c.o. Erysiphe graminis tritici E. Marchal) is an important disease of wheat in the North Western plains zone of India, especially in the context of the present day varieties that are being cultivated in this zone. The pest situation is likely to change with change in microclimate due to introduction of new tillage systems. Studies were thus undertaken to evaluate the effect of planting options and irrigation schedules on the incidence of powdery mildew disease in wheat ( Triticum aestivum L. emend. Fiori and Paol.). The various planting options studied were, conventional flat bed system, furrow irrigated raised bed-planting system (FIRBS) with 2 and 3 rows on each bed and flat beds having similar row configuration as the FIRBS. The incidence of powdery mildew was significantly higher on FIRBS as compared to the conventional flat bed sowing or strip row orientation. Incidence of the disease was higher in wetter irrigation schedule but the differences were significant only during the first year. Irrigation had no effect on yield during both the years. Various aspects of microclimate and epidemiology as influenced by the tillage practices are discussed.