Integrated Pest Management (IPM) and Pest Control Mapping Using GIS

Agricultural insect pests cause crop yield loss which results in an imbalance between the food demand of the world population and the global agriculture output. Pest control can be more efficient if it becomes possible to identify the current status of the pest timely and take action immediately. In this regard, the application of the Geographic Information System (GIS) has added a new dimension for pest management. Recent advancements in the field of agriculture by using GIS technology have provided ample scope in agriculture for pest monitoring, detection, and time management with high precision and accuracy. To improve pest control tactics, GIS may play a crucial role in finding and documenting the interplay of physical variables at other locations with different species, soil textures, elevation, and land use. In pest management, GIS techniques might provide detailed information on physical and biological interactions with metapopulation dynamics, as well as information on spatially explicit models to predict future pest populations by selecting appropriate habitat conditions. Pest control and management have become increasingly reliant on online GIS. Preventing the spread of pest illness requires large-scale data collection, mapping, and geospatial analysis. It's utilized to decipher and evaluate patterns to comprehend the disease's spatial interaction with pests, soil, and vegetation. By giving accurate location information that aids pest management decisions, GIS is also utilized to track monitoring measures such as spraying programs, trapping solutions, treatment, and so on. GIS can help forecast risk assessment models for pest control and management based on the data you've collected. Identify crucial intervention sites and develop a suitable method to combat disease spread. Agricultural regions may be mapped very precisely using digital resources like Geographic Information Systems and Global Positioning Systems. This technology, together with soil assessment and yield monitors, have resulted in "Precision Agriculture" production systems.

Site-Specific IPM

Agriculture has always embraced emerging technologies as they become more cost-effective. Farming equipment has become larger, more powerful, and more efficient as engine and mechanical systems have become faster and more reliable. Resistant varieties, selective insecticides, and transgenic plant varieties were quickly integrated into commercial agricultural production in the field of pest management.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

GIS stands for Geographic Information Systems, which are computer software packages capable of collecting, storing, manipulating, and displaying spatially referenced data. The operator is part of the system. Relational databases are an integral part of Geographic Information Systems. The positions of database objects, either in real-earth coordinates or on a grid, define the relationship between them. Digital cartography, database functions, and spatial analysis are all incorporated in GIS. A GIS, like any other computer software, cannot guarantee the accuracy of the data it receives or interpret the results. These two functions necessitate the use of a digital tool by an operator who is skilled in the field. The potential of a GIS to do geographic studies on data distinguishes it from traditional database software. The capacity to link databases with items that have locations associated with them is another useful aspect of GIS.

The power of employing a GIS as a database for biological data is in the geographic reference it provides. Sample sites can be linked to their real-world locations in a variety of ways. Sample sites, for example, can be found on a map and site coordinates extrapolated, or surveying instruments can be used from a predefined benchmark. However, using a Global Positioning System (GPS) is perhaps the simplest option (GPS).

 Global Positioning Systems (GPS)

The United States Department of Defence created GPS, a global satellite-based radio-navigation system (DoD). The system is made up of a constellation of 24 satellites orbiting the earth at a height of 11,000 miles. The Rockwell Corporation builds these satellites, which are known as NavStar satellites. The system was intended to work in the face of jamming and interference because it was developed as a military system to find both friendly and enemy sources. Furthermore, because of their high altitude, a handful of satellites will be 'visible' from the land practically anyplace on the planet. The technique is based on the triangulation of satellites and ground stations.

In IPM, how to use GIS and GPS

We can precisely locate and map farms, crop yield, and insect populations using these systems. Both IPM research and application benefit from these skills. GIS/GPS technology can help in scouting and controlling pest populations, projecting pest outbreaks and movement, detecting and analyzing patterns of damage, reviewing the success of treatment strategies, and refining their use. Most of these applications can be used in association with remote sensing techniques. GIS is a great partner for remote sensing since it can import and rectify digital images. Moreover, GIS is an effective tool for analyzing data collected via remote sensing. Even if remote sensing technologies are frequently used to estimate the size of weed infestations, insect and plant pathogen populations are typically too small to detect remotely, and shapes of damage are commonly utilized as indicators. Insect populations were assessed remotely using satellite imaging, aerial photos, and radar.

Pest Population Scouting, Tracking, and Mapping

One of the bases of IPM is scouting and monitoring pest populations and adopting preventive decisions based on those population statistics. The capacity to map the quantity and position of pest populations correctly and precisely has significant benefits, especially when it comes to applying control techniques.

The location of sample sites (implemented in the field with a GPS) may now be digitally mapped, and the generated GIS layers could be used to interpolate the pest population over the selected cluster. This is not a novel technique; interpolative techniques were used to determine populations in the past without the use of GIS. A GIS layer, on the other hand, can not only estimate numbers but also link to other similar layers across a region, resulting in regional maps that estimate pest populations. When estimating insect populations or pest attacks over a state or region, this method is utilized.

Conclusion

GIS and GPS let us all visualize an agricultural area and everything within it with high precision, especially pest populations. The platform can be linked to agrochemical application equipment, allowing pesticides and fertilizers to be accurately sprayed only where they are required. This will reduce the number of pesticides in the environment, but it will also result in the better pest control at a lower cost. Additionally, this approach may be used to better understand pest population spread and, as a result, target both tracking and treatment techniques. The utilization of these techniques in IPM, both in a combined application and on their own, improve with practice.