The use of Landsat MSS data to determine the locust eggbeds of locust eggbeds in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia

Abstract

Processed Landsat multispectral data were used to determine areas in the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia, in which eggs were likely to have been laid by swarms of the Australian plague locust ( Chortoicetes terminifera (Walker)), which invaded the region at the end of March 1987. A map was produced from the processed data with potential eggbed areas highlighted, which could be used for field survey purposes in the spring and summer when hatching started. The results showed that > 95 per cent of all nymphal band targets were in the areas defined by a normalized difference vegetation index as being those where vegetation growth had resulted from rain during March. Furthermore, a maximum-likelihood classification using a known eggbed location as a training area, produced an excellent correlation with locusts hatching in September/October 1987. The results are discussed in relation to the future operational use of such techniques by the Australian Plague Locust Commission.