A cellular automation model of Eldana saccharina Walker infestation in sugarcane to improve the spatio-temporal planning of sugarcane planting and harvesting

Date
2020-12
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH SUMMARY : Farmers are being increasingly challenged to use management techniques that reduce the negative impacts of farming. One of the main areas where the environment is negatively impacted by farming practices is pest management when using chemical pesticides. The manipulation of harvesting schedules has long been recognised to impact pest populations in agricultural crops and plays an important role in establishing an integrated pest management (IPM) system. In this study, the impact of di erently con gured sugarcane agricultural landscapes in terms of crop age, and the resulting di erent harvesting times, on the infestation dynamics of Eldana saccharina Walker, were considered. The dynamics of Eldana saccharina Walker infestation in sugarcane were simulated using a cellular automaton approach. The main objective was to identify generic eld con gurations (in terms of crop age) where infestation levels are minimised, and subsequently sucrose yield was maximised. The results obtained indicate that larger groupings of same aged crops tend to provide higher sucrose yields, compared to con gurations where many same aged small elds were scattered across the landscape. It was also determined that harvesting spread over the entire harvesting season with various aged crops tended to outperform scenarios with bulk harvesting of crops only at certain times during the harvesting season. In addition, an earlier harvesting age was found to be better, indicating that if possible, sugarcane should not be carried over during the period when sugarcane mills are closed.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING : Boere word toenemend uitgedaag om bestuurstegnieke wat die negatiewe gevolge van die boerdery sal verminder,te gebruik. Die gebruik van chemiese plaagdoders is een van die hoof redes waarom die omgewing negatief be nvloed word deur boerderypraktyke. Die invloed wat die manipulering van oestye op plaagpopulasies in landbougewasse het, is lankal reeds erken en speel 'n belangrike rol in die instelling van 'n ge ntegreerde plaagbestuurstelsel (IPM). In hierdie studie, word die impak van verskillende kon gurasies van 'n suikerrietlandskap in terme van plant ouderdom, en die gevolglike verskillende oestye, op die infestasie dinamika van Eldana saccharina Walker, ondersoek. Die infestasie dinamika van Eldana saccharina Walker in suikerriet word gesimuleer deur gebruik te maak van 'n sellul^ere outomaat. Die hoofdoel is om generiese veld kon gurasies (in terme van gewas ouderdom) te identi seer waar infestasie vlakke geminimeer word, en sodoende sukrose opbrengs gemaksimeer word. Die resultate wat verkry is, dui aan dat groter groeperings van dieselfde gewas ouderdom geneig is om ho er sukrose opbrengste te lewer, in vergelyking met kon gurasies waar baie van dieselfde ouderdom klein velde oor die landskap versprei was. Daar is ook vasgestel dat die verspreiding van die oestye oor die hele oesseisoen met verskillende gewas ouderdomme geneig is om beter te presteer as scenarios met grootmaat oes van gewasse slegs op sekere tye gedurende die oesseisoen. Verder is daar gevind dat 'n vroe ere oes ouderdom beter was, wat daarop dui dat suikerriet, indien moontlik, nie oorgedra moet word gedurende die periode waarin suikerriet meule gesluit is nie.
Description
Thesis (MCom)--Stellenbosch University, 2020.
Keywords
Cellular automata, Sugarcane -- Diseases and pests -- Control, Sugarcane -- Planting -- Statistical methods, Sugarcane -- Planting -- Planning, Sugarcane -- Harvesting -- Planning, Sugarcane -- Harvesting -- Statistical methods, Simulation methods, UCTD
Citation