scholarly journals Is what you see what you get? The relationship between field observed and actual aphid parasitism rates in canola crops

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samantha Ward ◽  
Paul A. Umina ◽  
Hazel Parry ◽  
Amber Balfour-Cunningham ◽  
Xuan Cheng ◽  
...  

AbstractBACKGROUNDEstimating parasitoid abundance in the field can be difficult, even more so when attempting to quantify parasitism rates and the ecosystem service of biological control that parasitoids can provide. To understand how ‘observed’ parasitism rates (in-field mummy counts) of the green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Homoptera: Aphididae) translate to ‘actual’ parasitism rates (laboratory-reared parasitoid counts), field work was undertaken in Australian canola fields over a growing season. Parasitoids were reared within a controlled laboratory setting.RESULTSTotal observed and actual parasitism rates of M. persicae varied considerably across regions, but less so on a field level. Overall, actual parasitism was on average 2.4 times higher than that observed in the field, with rates an average of 4-fold higher in South Australia. As crop growth stage progressed, the percentage of mummies observed increased. Percentage of parasitoids reared also increased with crop growth stage, averaging 3.4% during flowering and reaching 14.4% during podding/senescing. Although there was a greater diversity of reared parasitoid species at later crop growth stages, actual parasitism rate was unaffected by parasitoid species. Diaeretiella rapae was the most commonly reared parasitoid, increasing in abundance with crop growth stage.CONCLUSIONThese findings indicate that mummy counts alone do not provide a clear representation of parasitism within fields.

Author(s):  
S. A. Sawant ◽  
M. Chakraborty ◽  
S. Suradhaniwar ◽  
J. Adinarayana ◽  
S. S. Durbha

Satellite based earth observation (EO) platforms have proved capability to spatio-temporally monitor changes on the earth's surface. Long term satellite missions have provided huge repository of optical remote sensing datasets, and United States Geological Survey (USGS) Landsat program is one of the oldest sources of optical EO datasets. This historical and near real time EO archive is a rich source of information to understand the seasonal changes in the horticultural crops. Citrus (Mandarin / Nagpur Orange) is one of the major horticultural crops cultivated in central India. Erratic behaviour of rainfall and dependency on groundwater for irrigation has wide impact on the citrus crop yield. Also, wide variations are reported in temperature and relative humidity causing early fruit onset and increase in crop water requirement. Therefore, there is need to study the crop growth stages and crop evapotranspiration at spatio-temporal scale for managing the scarce resources. In this study, an attempt has been made to understand the citrus crop growth stages using Normalized Difference Time Series (NDVI) time series data obtained from Landsat archives (<a href="http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/"target="_blank">http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/</a>). Total 388 Landsat 4, 5, 7 and 8 scenes (from year 1990 to Aug. 2015) for Worldwide Reference System (WRS) 2, path 145 and row 45 were selected to understand seasonal variations in citrus crop growth. Considering Landsat 30 meter spatial resolution to obtain homogeneous pixels with crop cover orchards larger than 2 hectare area was selected. To consider change in wavelength bandwidth (radiometric resolution) with Landsat sensors (i.e. 4, 5, 7 and 8) NDVI has been selected to obtain continuous sensor independent time series. The obtained crop growth stage information has been used to estimate citrus basal crop coefficient information (Kcb). Satellite based Kcb estimates were used with proximal agrometeorological sensing system observed relevant weather parameters for crop ET estimation. The results show that time series EO based crop growth stage estimates provide better information about geographically separated citrus orchards. Attempts are being made to estimate regional variations in citrus crop water requirement for effective irrigation planning. In future high resolution Sentinel 2 observations from European Space Agency (ESA) will be used to fill the time gaps and to get better understanding about citrus crop canopy parameters.


1997 ◽  
Vol 87 (12) ◽  
pp. 1226-1232 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. Shtienberg

The effects of Rhizopus head rot, caused by Rhizopus oryzae, on the yield of confectionery sunflower and its quality were studied in field experiments conducted from 1994 to 1996. The extent of yield loss was related to the crop growth stage at inoculation. When heads were inoculated at the budding stage, loss was not apparent, because inoculated heads were not infected. When inoculated at the anthesis stage, loss was relatively high (42.5 to 99.1%), and both the number of achenes per head and the individual achene weight were reduced. When heads were inoculated at the seed development stage, yield was not reduced significantly (although the entire receptacle was rotted). Effects of Rhizopus head rot on measures of yield quality were examined as well. Inoculation with R. oryzae did not affect the size of the achenes at any crop growth stage. In contrast, the incidence of discolored achenes (an external sign of nutmeats with a bitter off-flavor) was affected by the disease at all crop growth stages. A survey in eight commercial fields from 1992 to 1996 found that, by the end of the season, incidence of disease ranged from 2.3 to 17.4%. However, since disease intensified late, resultant yield losses were minor and did not exceed 3.1%. Loss figures were estimated by means of a model that was developed and validated in the field experiments. The disease did affect the incidence of discolored achenes. Thus, the conclusion drawn is that the effects of Rhizopus head rot in confectionery sunflower on crop yield is of minimal concern, at least when disease intensifies late, as was the case in the studied fields, but management of the disease should be considered in some situations. The objectives would be to prevent a reduction in yield quality, not yield quantity.


Author(s):  
S. A. Sawant ◽  
M. Chakraborty ◽  
S. Suradhaniwar ◽  
J. Adinarayana ◽  
S. S. Durbha

Satellite based earth observation (EO) platforms have proved capability to spatio-temporally monitor changes on the earth's surface. Long term satellite missions have provided huge repository of optical remote sensing datasets, and United States Geological Survey (USGS) Landsat program is one of the oldest sources of optical EO datasets. This historical and near real time EO archive is a rich source of information to understand the seasonal changes in the horticultural crops. Citrus (Mandarin / Nagpur Orange) is one of the major horticultural crops cultivated in central India. Erratic behaviour of rainfall and dependency on groundwater for irrigation has wide impact on the citrus crop yield. Also, wide variations are reported in temperature and relative humidity causing early fruit onset and increase in crop water requirement. Therefore, there is need to study the crop growth stages and crop evapotranspiration at spatio-temporal scale for managing the scarce resources. In this study, an attempt has been made to understand the citrus crop growth stages using Normalized Difference Time Series (NDVI) time series data obtained from Landsat archives (<a href="http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/"target="_blank">http://earthexplorer.usgs.gov/</a>). Total 388 Landsat 4, 5, 7 and 8 scenes (from year 1990 to Aug. 2015) for Worldwide Reference System (WRS) 2, path 145 and row 45 were selected to understand seasonal variations in citrus crop growth. Considering Landsat 30 meter spatial resolution to obtain homogeneous pixels with crop cover orchards larger than 2 hectare area was selected. To consider change in wavelength bandwidth (radiometric resolution) with Landsat sensors (i.e. 4, 5, 7 and 8) NDVI has been selected to obtain continuous sensor independent time series. The obtained crop growth stage information has been used to estimate citrus basal crop coefficient information (Kcb). Satellite based Kcb estimates were used with proximal agrometeorological sensing system observed relevant weather parameters for crop ET estimation. The results show that time series EO based crop growth stage estimates provide better information about geographically separated citrus orchards. Attempts are being made to estimate regional variations in citrus crop water requirement for effective irrigation planning. In future high resolution Sentinel 2 observations from European Space Agency (ESA) will be used to fill the time gaps and to get better understanding about citrus crop canopy parameters.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1752 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafael Siqueira ◽  
Louis Longchamps ◽  
Subash Dahal ◽  
Raj Khosla

Real-time fluoro-sensing is a promising crop sensing technology to support variable-rate nutrient management for precision agricultural practices. The objective of this study was to evaluate the potential of fluoro-sensing to detect the variability of nitrogen (N) and potassium (K) in the crop canopy at the early growth stages of maize (before the V6 crop growth stage). This study was conducted under greenhouse conditions in pots filled with silica sand, and maize plants were supplied with modified Hoagland’s solution with different rates of N and K. Sensor readings were collected using a Multiplex®3 fluorescence sensor and analyzed using ANOVA (analysis of variance) to test differences in crop response to nutrient rates. Regression analysis was used to assess the ability of fluorescence sensor-based indices to estimate N and K in the crop canopy. The results of this study indicate that all fluorescence indices under consideration enabled the detection of N variability in the maize canopy prior to the V2 crop growth stage. The NBI_B (nitrogen balance index blue) index enabled N uptake detection (R2 = 0.99) as early as the V2 crop growth stage. However, the fluorescence indices failed to identify K deficiency, as the maize plants with K treatments showed little to no variability of this nutrient at early crop growth stages as measured by plant tissue analysis. The results present a tremendous opportunity to assess N uptake at early growth stages of maize for precision nitrogen application. We recommend using fluorescence sensor-based NBI_B or NBI_R (Nitrogen balance index red) for early detection of nitrogen uptake in maize for precision nitrogen management.


Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 44
Author(s):  
Samantha E. Ward ◽  
Paul A. Umina ◽  
Sarina Macfadyen ◽  
Ary A. Hoffmann

In grain crops, aphids are important pests, but they can be suppressed by hymenopteran parasitoids. A challenge in incorporating parasitoids into Integrated Pest Management (IPM) programs, however, is that parasitoid numbers can be low during periods within the season when aphids are most damaging. Understanding the population dynamics of key aphid species and their parasitoids is central to ameliorating this problem. To examine the composition and seasonal trends of both aphid and parasitoid populations in south-eastern Australia, samples were taken throughout the winter growing seasons of 2017 and 2018 in 28 fields of wheat and canola. Myzus persicae (Sulzer) was the most abundant aphid species, particularly within canola crops. Across all fields, aphid populations remained relatively low during the early stages of crop growth and increased as the season progressed. Seasonal patterns were consistent across sites, due to climate, crop growth stage, and interactions between these factors. For canola, field edges did not appear to act as reservoirs for either aphids or parasitoids, as there was little overlap in the community composition of either, but for wheat there was much similarity. This is likely due to the presence of similar host plants within field edges and the neighbouring crop, enabling the same aphid species to persist within both areas. Diaeretiella rapae (M’Intosh) was the most common parasitoid across our study, particularly in canola, yet was present only in low abundance at field edges. The most common parasitoid in wheat fields was Aphidius matricariae (Haliday), with field edges likely acting as a reservoir for this species. Secondary parasitoid numbers were consistently low across our study. Differences in parasitoid species composition are discussed in relation to crop type, inter-field variation, and aphid host. The results highlight potential focal management areas and parasitoids that could help control aphid pests within grain crops.


1999 ◽  
Vol 132 (4) ◽  
pp. 417-424 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. M. KNOTT

The response of two cultivars of dry harvest field peas (Pisum sativum), Solara and Bohatyr, to irrigation at different growth stages was studied on light soils overlying sand in Nottinghamshire, England in 1990, when the spring was particularly dry, in 1991 which had a dry spring and summer and in contrast, 1992, when rainfall was greater compared with the long-term (40 year) mean.Solara, short haulmed and semi-leafless was more sensitive to drought than the tall conventional-leaved cultivar Bohatyr and gave a greater yield response to irrigation, particularly at the vegetative growth stage in the first two dry years 1990 and 1991, of 108% and 55% respectively, compared with unirrigated plots. Bohatyr was less sensitive to the timing of single applications.In all years, peas irrigated throughout on several occasions produced the highest yields, but this was the least efficient use of water.


1996 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 218-218
Author(s):  
Terry A. DeVries ◽  
Robert J. Wright

Abstract Bacillus thuringiensis formulations and conventional insecticides were evaluated for efficacy against larval ECB in whorl stage field corn. All plots were planted without soil insecticide on 16 May. The experimental design was a RCB with 4 replicates. Each plot consisted of a single row, 40 ft long with a 30-inch row spacing. Plots were artificially infested with black-head stage ECB egg masses. The egg masses were deposited on wax paper discs, precounted in the laboratory and placed in the whorl of the infested plants on 30 Jun and 9 Jul. Crop growth stage was 37 and 57 inches extended leaf height, respectively. The same 5 plants in each treatment replicate were infested with 10 egg masses per infestation date. All granular insecticides were applied on 13 Jul. Environmental conditions were: air temperature, 81°F; wind direction and speed, west (250°) at 7 mph; relative humidity, 53%; and crop growth stage, 63 inches extended leaf height. A 10-inch Almaco smooth belt cone rear mounted on a Hahn Hi-Boy was used to apply preweighed amounts of the granular insecticides over the top of the plant whorls (G). Liquid insecticides were applied on 15 Jul. Environmental conditions were: air temperature, 74°F; wind direction and speed, east (80°) at 5 mph; relative humidity, 76%; and crop growth stage, 67 inches extended leaf height. A CO2 pressurized backpack sprayer at 30 psi was used to apply a band application over the top of the whorl (total spray volume = 1050 ml/plot) of premeasured amounts of the liquid insecticides (L). All infested plants were evaluated for ECB larval feeding damage on 14-15 Aug. The stalks of the infested plants were split lengthwise and the accumulated length and number of cavities in the 5 plants per treatment replicate were used to evaluate ECB larval damage. The percent infestation at evaluation was determined by the plants with a minimum of 1 cavity per treatment replicate. Data were analyzed by ANOVA for RCB with mean separation using DMRT.


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