Patrick J. English1, Sherri L. DeFauw2, Jeffrey L. Willers3, and James W. Smith1. (1) Mississippi State University, Delta Research and Extension Center, Stoneville, MS 38776, (2) Biological Control of Pests Research Unit, National Biological Control Laboratory, USDA, ARS, Stoneville, MS 38776, (3) Genetics and Precision Agriculture Research Unit, USDA-ARS, Mississippi State, MS 39762
Site-specific management of Tarnished Plant Bug (TPB) infestations is dependent upon several factors contributing to field-scale variability that promote variations in cotton crop vigor. Six years of NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index) data (2001-2006) have been used to examine gradations in management zone consistency from spatial as well as temporal perspectives. Yield data, collected over a period of four years (i.e., 2001, 2003, 2004, and 2006), was not as robust in delineating the transitional edges of the management zones. However, the integration of 2004 and 2006 yield data with the NDVI series provided useful insights on clinal dimensionality as well as the prediction of TPB prime habitat throughout the growing season. Fluctuations in management zone margins are, in large measure, a reflection of the timing and abundance of precipitation and/or irrigation inputs during the growing season. Ultimately, field-scale stability is controlled by the interactions of biogeochemical soil variability and hydropedologic features (surface as well as subsurface drainage characteristics, and topography).
Poster (.pdf format, 991.0 kb)