ALISON THIEME

Utilizing NASA Earth Observations to Map the Spread of the Red Palm Mite in Puerto Rico for Detection, Management, and Conservation

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Advisors:

Dr. Michael Cosh, USDA ARS

Dr. Ronald Ochoa, USDA ARS

Dr. John Bolten, NASA GSFC

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Project Team:

Dr. Sara Lubkin (Project Lead), sara.lubkin@gmail.com

Julia Marrs

Sean McCartney

Alison Thieme

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Abstract:

The rapid spread of the red palm mite, Raoiella indica, has devastated coconut palm, banana, and plantain crops throughout the Americas and the Caribbean since its introduction into the hemisphere in 2003. Red palm mites feed via the stomata on plant hosts’ leaves, using specialized mouthparts, resultinites spaceg in accelerated water loss, decreased crop yield, and a characteristic pattern of leaf yellowing and senescence that can be remotely detected using multispectral imagery and calculated spectral vegetation indices from Landsat 7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+), Landsat 8 Operational Land Imager (OLI), Earth Observing-1 (EO-1) Hyperion, IKONOS platforms, and aerial imagery. In conjunction with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Resource Service (ARS) and the University of Puerto Rico, the distribution of red palm mite infestation in Puerto Rico was tracked from 2002 to 2016, and maps were produced showing the geographic spread of the red palm mite infestation during this time. The high adaptability of red palm mites to multiple plant hosts, adverse environmental conditions, and diverse dispersal pathways, plus the absence of known biotic countermeasures, makes the mite an urgent environmental and economic threat throughout Southeast Asia, Oceania, and the Americas. Understanding past red palm mite invasions will help to prevent its spread into proximal agricultural areas and limit exposure and resulting crop destruction. The tracking methodology and tools established here can be applied to other geographical areas in an effort to mitigate current mite infestations and to monitor and prevent probable future invasions.

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Acknowledgements: 

Dr. John Bolten, NASA

Dr. Michael Cosh, USDA ARS

Dr. Ron Ochoa, USDA ARS

Dr. Jose Carlos Rodrigues, University of Puerto Rico

 

This material is based upon work supported by NASA through contract NNL11AA00B and cooperative agreement NNX14AB60A. Any mention of a commercial product, service, or activity in this material does not constitute NASA endorsement. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration and partner organizations.