Project reference: 2001-06
Use of aerial spray simulation models for pest eradication, management and contingency planning
Project description:
Objective: To make spray modelling system immediately available for biosecurity contingency planning, pest management, or eradication operations. This requires collection of new data to characterise forest canopies and to validate the model. Initial work will focus on radiata pine but this will subsequently be extended to other forest types.
Background:
Aerially applied pesticides are an important tool for management of weeds, insect pests and diseases, but off–target spray deposition and drift are significant environmental concerns. It is essential that pesticides are applied in a responsible manner, with a clear understanding of how the selected application methods affect the environment and influence efficacy and operational efficiency. One way of achieving these objectives is by using a validated aerial application simulation model.
Research and development of such aerial spraying simulation models has been ongoing at Forest Research for more than a decade. This resulted in the production of SpraySafe Manager (SSM), with version 2 (SSM2) now under development in collaboration with USDA Forest Service, and members of the NZ forestry, agricultural aviation and agricultural chemical industries.
SSM 2 has 3 key components:
1. A simulation model that predicts deposition and drift of aerially released sprays;
2. The model is linked to a geographic information system (GIS) that makes it possible to
define actual spray block boundaries and sensitive areas;
Biological response models that, in combination with the other two components, allow spatial analysis of predicted effects of the pesticide on target or sensitive species within defined boundaries.
Biosecurity And Contingency Planning
Spray application simulation models such as SSM have proven to be useful tools for operational planning for control of insect pests. A good example was the programme to control the white spotted tussock moth where decisions on operational aerial spraying procedures were made using output from the simulation model.
Despite their obvious strengths, simulation models also have some limitations in their application to forest biosecurity issues such as contingency planning or defining operational eradication or management strategies for insect pests or diseases. The most important shortcomings relate to the canopy deposition model. The canopy architecture of radiata pine (and other important tree crops) has not been characterised so it is not possible to use this part of the spraying simulation model with any confidence. This means that the model cannot easily be used to develop spraying methods that optimise spray deposition in specific parts of the canopy. This type of analysis can be critical to the success of a spray operation. Putting it simply, if a new pest were found established in forest, and a decision was made to attempt eradication, we would (i) need to use aerial spray simulation models for operational planning; (ii) have to use “best guesses” for important model inputs.
Research Provider:
Forest Research
National Institute for Agricultural Research (France)
