Articles
APPLICATION OF GEOSTATISTICS IN STUDYING EPIDEMIOLOGY OF HAZELNUT DISEASES: A CASE STUDY
Article number
845_78
Pages
507 – 514
Language
English
Abstract
New information management technologies, such as geographic information techniques (GIS) and geostatistics, have been already applied in the past in the study of spatially related data in plant pathology.
In particular, geostatistics offer a means to describe spatial continuity, an essential feature of many natural phenomena, such as the spreading of a plant disease.
Various hazelnut diseases and their epidemiology are suitable to be investigated by means of these technologies. Kriging is a regression technique used for the estimation or interpolation of spatially located and spatially correlated data.
This work shows an example of the Kriging method applied to the study of the epidemiology of the Dieback of hazelnut on Monti Cimini (Central Italy) over six years of observation.
This method, when properly adapted, is suitable to be applied to the study of other hazelnut diseases and even to several spatial phenomena of interest in the culture of hazelnuts.
Hazelnut Dieback is a bacterial disease which has been affecting hazelnut orchards in the Province of Viterbo since the 1980s.
In the last few years, many aspects have been clarified but, on the other hand, other questions still remain unresolved about the epidemiology, such as the particular incidence of the disease on areas characterised by specific climatic features.
The Kriging geostatistic method was applied in order to better describe the progression of the disease in recent years.
A major concentration of diseased and dead plants was observed in two specific areas of hazelnut cultivation: the first one on the outer part of the volcanic caldera of the Lake of Vico and the second one on the northern inner part of the caldera itself.
The disease spread mainly in areas which were still affected by the hazelnut dieback, since its first appearance.
The results of the semivariogram parameters show a good spatial autocorrelation, especially in the period 1998-2000 and for the year 2003.
In particular, geostatistics offer a means to describe spatial continuity, an essential feature of many natural phenomena, such as the spreading of a plant disease.
Various hazelnut diseases and their epidemiology are suitable to be investigated by means of these technologies. Kriging is a regression technique used for the estimation or interpolation of spatially located and spatially correlated data.
This work shows an example of the Kriging method applied to the study of the epidemiology of the Dieback of hazelnut on Monti Cimini (Central Italy) over six years of observation.
This method, when properly adapted, is suitable to be applied to the study of other hazelnut diseases and even to several spatial phenomena of interest in the culture of hazelnuts.
Hazelnut Dieback is a bacterial disease which has been affecting hazelnut orchards in the Province of Viterbo since the 1980s.
In the last few years, many aspects have been clarified but, on the other hand, other questions still remain unresolved about the epidemiology, such as the particular incidence of the disease on areas characterised by specific climatic features.
The Kriging geostatistic method was applied in order to better describe the progression of the disease in recent years.
A major concentration of diseased and dead plants was observed in two specific areas of hazelnut cultivation: the first one on the outer part of the volcanic caldera of the Lake of Vico and the second one on the northern inner part of the caldera itself.
The disease spread mainly in areas which were still affected by the hazelnut dieback, since its first appearance.
The results of the semivariogram parameters show a good spatial autocorrelation, especially in the period 1998-2000 and for the year 2003.
Publication
Authors
A. Fabi, L. Varvaro
Keywords
Corylus avellana, dieback, Geographic Information System, Geostatistics, Kriging, hazelnut diseases, phytopathogenic bacteria
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