ARS | Publication request: Remote Sensing to Detect Plant Stress, with Particular Reference to Stress Caused by the Greenbug: a Review

Submitted to: Southwestern Entomologist
Publication Acceptance Date: April 6, 2004
Publication Date: September 20, 2004
Citation: Yang, Z., Rao, M.N., Kindler, D., Elliott, N.C. 2004. Remote Sensing To Detect Plant Stress, With Particular Reference To Stress Caused By The Greenbug: A Review. Southwestern Entomologist 29(3):227-236.

Interpretive Summary: Cost effective ways to monitor agricultural fields to detect the presence of stressed plants within the field will increase the use of integrated pest management in agriculture. Remote sensing technology shows promise for monitoring agricultural fields to detect crop stress and map its geographic locations within the field. This will permit the use of properly timed and targeted measures to control crop pests. Remote sensing has the distinct advantage over sampling techniques currently in use for monitoring pests because an entire field can be rapidly monitored, and the locations of stressed areas within the field can be accurately mapped. It has been demonstrated that symptoms of crop stress can be visualized at particular wavelength bands of the electromagnetic spectrum. For example, the amount of incident light reflected from the crop canopy in red and near infrared bands has been shown to vary with the level of stress. However, considerable research and development will be required before the promise of remote sensing technology for crop stress detection will be realized. Ground-based spectroscopy/radiometry will be useful in the research and development process because it is cheaper and more convenient to use than airborne remote sensing. Furthermore, many ground-based sensors have the high spatial and spectral resolution required to differentiate various crop stresses under field conditions. The purpose of this paper is to review the application of ground-based spectroscopy/radiometry for crop stress detection and to examine ways for detecting stress in wheat induced by greenbugs, Schizaphis graminum (Rondani), a key pest of wheat in the Great Plains region. Based on the review, needs for research involving crop stress caused by greenbugs are discussed.

Technical Abstract: Crop stress due to adverse conditions, such as nutrient deficiency, pest infestation, disease, and drought, can be detected using remote sensing techniques. It has been demonstrated that symptoms of crop stress can be visualized at some wavelengths, such as red and near infrared, and measured using vegetation indices, such as NDVI. Image-based remote sensing, such as is obtained by satellite and aircraft, shows promise for rapidly monitoring entire fields to determine the presence and geographic pattern of plant stress within the field. However, considerable research and development will be required to develop reliable airborne remote sensing technology. Ground-based spectroscopy/radiometry will be a useful tool during the development process because it is cheaper and more convenient to use, and because many ground-based sensors have the high spatial and spectral resolution needed to differentiate various crop stresses under field conditions. The main purpose of this paper is to review application of ground-based spectroscopy/radiometry for crop stress detection and to examine ways for detecting stress to wheat induced by greenbugs, Schizaphis graminum (Rondani). Based on the review, some needs for research involving crop stress caused by greenbugs are discussed.