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Davis, M. R.

Hart, W. G.

Ingle, S. J.

English

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'"Made available under NASA sponsorship:
in the interest of early and wide dis- 7. 4 - .
semination of Earth Resources Survey
Program information and without liability
for any use made thereof." Progress Report No. 9
Title: A Study of the Early Detection of Insect Infestations'and
Density/Distribution of Host Plants.
Citrus Insects Research
USDA, ARS
509 West Fourth St., Weslaco, Texas 78596
Period: October 1-31, 1973
EREP Investigation No. 319
NASA Contract No. 116301
,- Principal Investigator: William G. Hart
Sammy J. Ingle
M. R. Davis "
'. NASA Technical Monitor:, Clayton Forbes, Mail Code TP6
NASA-Manned Spacecraft Center
Experiment Development & Integration Br.
Houston, Texas 77058
S (a). Aerial surveys using color infrared film have been conducted
C over the Mission and Delta Lake test sites and additional flight
4 E-4 . lines have been flown in our efforts to map the lower Rio Grande
z u pValley citrus area. Cloudy weather continues to hamper our
efforts to complete the studies of these test areas. Despite the
H o . unfavorable weather conditions we were able to complete 18 hours
SP "H-(; : of flying during the month. The film has been processed, studied
SE- with photointerpretation techniques, labeled and stored for
E W U = -subsequent use in correlation with Skylab data. Ground truth
0 CL data has also been collected over the test sites and in response
o T- to unusual factors recorded on the film. Our studies have been
hampered by 2 problems to date, unfavorale weather conditions and
W , . a lack of S190B data. For our purposes the improved resolution
Swith S190B would offer the possibility of more accurate identifi.
VH H .,- cation of host plantings and detection of the distribution of
P4 0i ~damage caused by insect pests.
o n a) I  I
- H (b) Our studies require the maximum resolution available since we
-o \ y :, may be limited to relatively small plantings or portions of
H -4 "1 plantings for detection of factors we consider important. For
this reason we urgently need S190B data with either color infra-
ra4E$W 0) = °,., red film or black and white. infrared film, These films have
z 04 0* *
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2proven most useful in detecting differences in vegetation that
are pertinent to our investigation. While we have been hampered
by unfavorable weather conditions, we have a backlog of aerial
photography and ground truth data that needs to be correlated
with Skylab data if we are to achieve maximum results in our
investigation. This can only be accomplished with the most
effective camera and film system available in the Skylab.
(c) Through the use of the multispectral viewer, which should be
delivered in the near future, we expect a significant improvement
in detection of variations of the reflectance characteristics of
vegetation. Hopefully this will enable us to provide more detail
on vegetative types and greater insight into avenues of entry of
various pests. As the seasonal cycle progresses we should be able.
to separate permanent type cropping (i.e.. citrus) from annual
crops if adequate Skylab data is received.
(d) The most significant results from Skylab data has been the
detection of patterns of'vegetation on both sides of the Rio
Grande River. This should assist in determining the areas that
require greatest stress in surveillance studies for insect pest
introductions on both sides of the border. This could be greatly
improved with data from S190B with color IR or black and white
IR film.
(e) Skylab 4 should provide us with the most informative data since
there are few crops planted during the winter months that can
be confused with citrus. If we receive data with maximum
resolution, it should enable us to pinpoint significant detail
about the citrus and provide regulatory and control personnel
with the patterns of distribution of host plants of citrus pests
on both sides of the border.
(f) Travel during this reporting period was confined to that required
for ground surveys and in connection with aerial surveys.
0 i


A study of the early detection of insect infestations and density/distribution of host plants

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