Remote sensing techniques for identification of two-spotted spider mite infestation Tetranychus urticae Koch on strawberry plants

Abstract

Sustainable production strategies and ecological methods that minimize the use of inputs are part of a rigorous process of food safety and quality. Recent research has developed a wide range of technologies to detect pests efficiently, early and accurately, reducing the risks of outbreaks and injuries in more commercialized crops. One of these activities of economic and social relevance is strawberry cultivation, which has a cultivated area in the country of approximately 3500 hectares, fragmented in small and medium rural properties in several states, with a production of 133 thousand tons per year. This culture has shown significant growth in recent years in Brazil and the world, due to productive and social factors, mainly the high economic profitability and the great demand for the consumers. Among the several phytosanitary problems in strawberry cultivation, the two-spotted spider mite is considered the main one by the producers. In this way, it is necessary to develop technologies that can identify this pest. Based on the assumption that the analysis of vegetation indices obtained by remote sensing for different infestations of the mite results in different behaviors in the captured spectrum, it is aimed to correlate the infestation and the spectral data of the plant. In addition, the objective is to relate the responses to control strategies of this pest, including biological and chemical control.