Open Competition 1 - Information Technology

Autonomous Pest Monitoring and Control System

Sponsor: ISCA Technologies, Inc.

• Project Performance Period: 11/1/2002 - 10/31/2005
• Total project (est.): $2,717,693.00
• Requested ATP funds: $2,000,000.00

Damage caused by agricultural pests is estimated at $300 billion annually, or 30 to 40 percent of potential global food, fiber, and feed products. The present rate of increase in yield is much less than required to meet projected technologies needed to improve crop yields. Farmers currently rely on time-consuming, manual pests management methods that often come too late to prevent pest infestations. Present methods entail costly blanket spraying of insecticides on entire farms, which is inefficient, ecologically harmful, and conducive to the development of pesticide resistance. ISCA Technologies is developing an integrated pest management system to effectively control pests and minimize environmental damage: instantaneous field data acquisition and analysis will automate detection and treatment of pest outbreaks. Field traps with data loggers, optics, acoustics, and pressure sensors will allow the precise identification of captured insects and tracking of their populations in real time. A wireless network of traps, sensors, and actuators will transmit a continuous, orderly stream of data to a centralized Internet database that determines pest activity, density, and location; it also will identify and deliver the necessary pest management actions and evaluate their effectiveness. Powerful geographical and statistical tools will mine this large database, conceivably revealing patterns that otherwise would be too elusive to detect. The result will be the generation of a new knowledge base in the field of pest management. This technology can be extended to both the detection and control of insects vectoring medically important diseases and the very real threat of bioterrorism. The widespread use of this system in agricultural and urban settings would allow for the instantaneous flagging of suspect trends and activities. Technical risks involve the variety of pests that must be identified, successful automation and integration of the various technologies, and the potentially low compliance of farmers' scheduled activities. Benefits include reduced environmental contamination, elimination of unnecessary insecticide spraying, decreased overhead costs to farmers, higher quality food, and increased production. Collectively, these benefits will help farmer cooperatives, commodity markets, the Food and Drug Administration, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the consumer. ATP funding is needed because, as a small business, ISCA Technologies lacks the funding to fully develop this high-risk technology. Further, agriculture is viewed as a slow-growth industry and farmers are reluctant to adopt advanced technology, preferring to wait for proven market growth potential. ISCA Technologies will employ two university consultants and partner with a subcontractor to market and distribute traps and actuators, initially targeting medium-sized farms.

For project information:

Dr. Agenor Mafra-Neto, (909) 686-5008
president@iscatech.com

ATP Project Manager

Christopher Currens, (301) 975-8503
christopher.currens@nist.gov