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Biotechnology

Precisely Manage Cotton Nematodes

Cotton root knot nematodes (RKN) are a persistent and damaging pest causing major losses annually to the cotton industry. UGA studies, along with many others, have shown that nematodes are not evenly distributed in fields and that they tend to have higher populations in sandier areas of a field. Precision Agriculture, which by definition tailors inputs on a site-specific basis, offers a promising alternative to field-scale sampling and blanket nematicide applications. UGA biological and agricultural engineers have begun using soil electrical conductivity (EC) data from on-the-go sensors, elevation from RTK-GPS, remotely sensed imagery, and yield data to try and identify RKN hot-spots in cotton fields. GIS and geostatistical analysis of EC, elevation, remote sensed imagery, and yield data from 2005 and 2006 along with knowledge of RKN population distributions has led to development of field management zones that represent areas at varying levels of risk for cotton crop damage/losses from RKN. These zones may allow growers to save on the cost of nematicides by only treating areas where damaging RKN populations are most likely to occur. Site-specific or zone management of RKN would enable many growers to benefit from nematicide applications who currently are not. This would allow cotton growers to greatly reduce sampling and pesticide costs while improving profitability and maintaining environmental quality. (2007)

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