Soil Temperature can Predict Pest Spread in Crops
Published:30 Sep.2022 Source:North Carolina State University
A new study from North Carolina State University shows soil temperature can be used to effectively monitor and predict the spread of the corn earworm (Helicoverpa zea), an important pest that ravages corn, cotton, soybeans, peppers, tomatoes and other vegetable crops. The ability to better monitor the pest and make predictions about where it will appear could help farmers control the pest more effectively, which would reduce the financial and environmental impacts of pesticide use.
The research shows that 40 degrees latitude is not the best division for overwintering success, so much so that the researchers devised their own maps -- overlaying the three different data sets -- to show three relevant geographic zones: a "Southern Range" where pests survive over the winter months, a "Northern Limits" area where pests are generally unable to survive during winter months, and a "Transitional Zone" in between the northern and southern areas where pests may or may not survive over the winter.