precision agriculture for small-scale crop production

99 Pages·2017·2.45 MB·English

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Doctoral Dissertations Student Scholarship
Spring 2016
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Matt Wallhead
University of New Hampshire, Durham
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation
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Wallhead, Matt, "IPM2.0: PRECISION AGRICULTURE FOR SMALL-SCALE CROP PRODUCTION" (2016).
Doctoral Dissertations. 2244.
https://scholars.unh.edu/dissertation/2244
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IPM2.0: PRECISION AGRICULTURE FOR SMALL-SCALE CROP PRODUCTION

By

Matthew Wallhead
B.S. in Plant Health Management, Ohio State University, 2007
M.S. in Plant Pathology, Ohio State University, 2012

DISSERTATION

Submitted to the University of New Hampshire
in Partial Fulfillment of
the Requirements for the Degree of

Doctor of Philosophy
in
Plant Biology

May, 2016
Copyright by
Matthew Wallhead
2016
Dissertation Committee

This dissertation has been examined and approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor
of Philosophy in Plant Biology by:

Dissertation Director, Dr. Kirk Broders, Assistant Professor, Plant Biology
Dr. Cheryl Smith, Extension Professor, Cooperative Extension
Dr. Rich Smith, Assistant Professor, Natural Resources and the Environment
Dr. Shane Bradt, Extension Associate Professor, Cooperative Extension
Dr. Barry Rock, Professor Emeritus, Natural Resources and the Environment, EOS
On 06-10-2015

Original approval signatures are on file with the University of New Hampshire Graduate School.
Dedication
This dissertation is dedicated to my wife Charity.

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Acknowledgments

I would like to express my appreciation and thank my advisor, Dr. Kirk D. Broders, for his time and
patience. Thank you for the opportunity to serve as your student. Special thanks to my dissertation
committee members, Dr. Rich Smith, Dr. Cheryl Smith, Dr. Shane Bradt and Dr. Barry Rock all for their
guidance and insight. Thanks to my mentors Mary Martin and Jon Chappell for sharing their wisdom and
expertise and guiding me along the way, for this privilege I am more than grateful. Many thanks for all
the lessons learned, it has been an honor to work with all of you. The most special thanks goes to my
wife, Charity, for her understanding, support and love throughout this whole experience.

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Table of Contents

Dedication ........................................................................................................................................ ii
Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................... iii
Table of Contents ............................................................................................................................ iv
Abstract ........................................................................................................................................... vi
Chapter 1: Investigation of the Ecology, Epidemiology, and Genetic Diversity of Colletotrichum spp.
infecting fruit crops in the Northeastern U. S. ................................................................................. 1
Abstract ............................................................................................................................................ 1
Introduction ...................................................................................................................................... 2
Objective .......................................................................................................................................... 3
Materials and Methods ..................................................................................................................... 3
Results .............................................................................................................................................. 7
Discussion ........................................................................................................................................ 8
Tables and Figures ........................................................................................................................... 8
References ...................................................................................................................................... 21
Chapter 2: RIMpro Evaluation for New England Apple Orchards ................................................ 23
Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... 23
Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 24
Objective ........................................................................................................................................ 28
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Materials and Methods ................................................................................................................... 28
Results ............................................................................................................................................ 30
Discussion ...................................................................................................................................... 32
Tables and Figures ......................................................................................................................... 37
References ...................................................................................................................................... 48
Chapter 3: - UAVs for Orchard Management ................................................................................ 51
Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... 51
Introduction .................................................................................................................................... 52
Objective ........................................................................................................................................ 55
Materials and Methods ................................................................................................................... 56
Results ............................................................................................................................................ 59
Discussion ...................................................................................................................................... 63
Tables and Figures ......................................................................................................................... 68
References ...................................................................................................................................... 84

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ABSTRACT
IPM2.0: PRECISION AGRICULTURE FOR SMALL-SCALE CROP PRODUCTION

by
Matthew Wallhead
University of New Hampshire
May, 2016

In order to manage pests impacting New England crop production integrated pest management
(IPM) practices should be reevaluated or updated regularly to ensure that effective control of crop pests is
being achieved. Three fungal taxa, Colletotrichum gloeosporioides, C. acutatum, and Glomerella
cingulata, are currently associated with bitter-rot of apple (Malus domestica), with C. acutatum typically
being the dominant species found in the northeastern United States. However, a recent phylogenetic study
demonstrated that both C. gloeosporioides and C. acutatum are species complexes with over 10 distinct
species being recovered from apple between the two studies. Based on this recent information, the
objectives of this study were 1) to complete a phylogenetic analysis to determine species diversity and
distribution of Colletotrichum isolates associated with bitter-rot and Glomerella leaf spot in the
northeastern United States and 2) to evaluate the sensitivity of these isolates to several commercially used
fungicides. A multi-gene phylogenetic analysis was completed using ITS, GADPH and BT gene
sequences in order to determine which species and how many species of Colletotrichum were infecting
apples in the northeastern U.S. The results of this study demonstrated that C. fioriniae is the primary
pathogen causing both bitter rot and Glomerella leaf spot in the northeastern U.S. A second experiment
was conducted in order to update management practices for apple scab, caused by the ascomycete
Venturia inaequalis. The objective of this project was to evaluate the ability of RIMpro, an apple scab
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warning system, to control apple scab in New England apple orchards in addition to evaluating the
performance of potassium bicarbonate + sulfur as a low-cost alternative spray material for the control of
apple scab suitable for organic apple production. Use of RIMpro allowed for the reduction in the total
number of spray applications made during the primary scab season by two sprays in 2013 and one spray
in 2014 (28% and 25% reductions, respectively). Also, the potassium bicarbonate + sulfur treatment was
shown to provide the same level of control as Captan. Finally, disease outbreaks, insect infestation,
nutrient deficiencies, and weather variation constantly threaten to diminish annual yields and profits in
orchard crop production systems. Automated crop inspection with an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) can
allow growers to regularly survey crops and detect areas affected by disease or stress and lead to more
efficient targeted applications of pesticides, water and fertilizer. The overall goal of this project was to
develop a low cost aerial imaging platform coupling imaging sensors with UAVs to be used for
monitoring crop health. Following completion of this research, we have identified a useful tool for
agricultural and ecological applications.
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