ARS | Publication request: Spatial Distribution and Areawide Management of Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte in South Dakota

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract
Publication Acceptance Date: April 1, 2008
Publication Date: May 26, 2008
Citation: French, B.W., Chandler, L.D. 2008. Spatial Distribution and Areawide Management of Diabrotica virgifera virgifera LeConte in South Dakota. DAIBR-ACT Meeting, Gottingen, Germany, May 25-29, 2008.

Technical Abstract: Diabrotica v. virgifera is an economically important pest of maize in the U.S. Corn Belt. The areawide management program was conducted from 1997 ¿ 2001 in five states. The location in South Dakota encompassed 41.4 km2 and was dominated by corn and soybean fields. An IPM approach was used to suppress adult populations by aerially spraying fields with semiochemical baited insecticides when numbers captured in sticky traps reached a threshold. For analysis, fields were combined by spray weeks. These fields were then compared to control fields that were managed with soil insecticides. All fields and traps were georeferenced to calculate landscape metrics and the spatial distribution of the beetles. We calculated class-level landscape metrics on continuous corn, first year corn, and all corn. Trap captures were interpolated to create raster map layers, which were analyzed in relation to topography, soil type, habitat structure, and landscape metrics. We showed that populations of corn rootworms decreased significantly after being sprayed, and that spraying events were concentrated in areas where large continuous maize fields were aggregated. Our research illustrates the potential for areawide management of D. v. virgifera and for using GIS to find patterns in the landscape that promote high beetle densities. Key Words: geographical information systems, corn rootworm, pest management