3D IMAGING SHOWS WITHIN-PLANT DISTRIBUTION OF PESTS ON UNSPRAYED NEW ZEALAND KIWIFRUIT VINES

The insect pests of kiwifruit in New Zealand include armored scale insects, leafrollers, leafhoppers and thrips.
An increasing proportion of the national crop is using Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to manage these pests.
Pest monitoring methods are being developed in conjunction with spray thresholds based on pest density.
These systems require a sound understanding of pest distribution within orchards.
A unique application of three-dimensional imaging technology (Polhemus FasTrak™) originally developed for engineering purposes, is being used to map the within vine distribution of pests.
This technology was used to determine the position of all leaves on 4 unsprayed kiwifruit vines.
The leaves were microscopically examined and insect damage and infestation recorded.
Armored scale insects were found on leaves throughout the vine canopy but their density was higher closer to the permanent woody parts of vines.
In contrast, leafroller damage to leaves was more common on the canopy perimeter.
Different areas of kiwifruit vines may therefore need to be sampled for different pests.

III International Symposium on Kiwifruit

A.R. Tomkins, P.A. Allison, D.J. Wilson, C. Thomson

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.1997.444.120