Phytoparasitica (1997) 25, p. 161 (Sarid et al.)

Y. Sarid, M. Coll, A. Niv, A. Nevo and A. Bosak (1997)
Spatial trends in the dynamics of pest populations
Phytoparasitica 25 (2), 161-161
10th Conference of the Entomological Society of Israel, February 11, 1997, Bet Dagan, Israel, poster
Abstract: The spatial distribution of organisms is essential to population ecology. In agricultural habitats, fields of different size and spatial arrangement are characterized by different crops and agricultural activities. Such factors greatly influence the dynamics of pest populations. Likewise, non-host plants (weeds and wild vegetation) influence pest populations by serving as sources of pests and natural enemies. In this project the influence of neighboring crops and wild vegetation on the dynamics of cotton pests is being studied. To monitor the populations of Bemisia tabaci, Pectinophora gossypiella, Spodoptera littoralis, Helicoverpa armigera and Earias insulana, trapping stations were positioned over an area of approximately 8,500 ha in the eastern Judea coastal plain. There are approximately 5,000 ha of crop land in the study area, about 50% of them under cotton. The area suffers consistently from high pest infestations and low yields. Each trapping station consisted of three sticky yellow traps for whiteflies and a pheromone trap for each of the moth species. The captured pests were counted once or twice a week during the season and once every 2 weeks during the winter. A geographical information system and geostatistical tools were used for the presentation of spatial data and for testing spatial trends in pest populations (e.g. identification of hot-spots).

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
population dynamics/ epidemiology
environment - cropping system/rotation

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Helicoverpa armigera	Cotton (Gossypium)	Israel
	Bemisia tabaci	Cotton (Gossypium)	Israel
	Spodoptera littoralis	Cotton (Gossypium)	Israel
	Pectinophora gossypiella	Cotton (Gossypium)	Israel
	Earias insulana	Cotton (Gossypium)	Israel