Using Nearest Neighbor, Ripley’s K Function and Kriging methods to identify distribution pattern of tomato leafminer moth, Tuta absoluta in greenhouse conditions

Tuta absoluta is one of the most important tomato pests in Yazd province. Geographic Information System (GIS) with integrated, accurate and timely information, which is the most important part of any management program, can be used to solve pest management issues. In order to determine and evaluate the distribution pattern of tomato leaf miner, a 1-hectare tomato greenhouse was selected around Yazd city. Data on pest population density were obtained through random sampling from the greenhouse surface. Based on the results of the nearest neighbor method, the distribution pattern in these communities in the beginning and middle of the cultivation was cumulative and at the end of the season was uniform. The Ripley k method also showed that the dispersion pattern was cumulative at the beginning and middle of the culture, which tends to disperse more with increasing distance. This pattern was observed uniformly at the end of the growing season. As a result of these two methods, this pest has a cumulative distribution in the early and middle of the growing season, so it is possible to control it according to the location in the greenhouse. The spatial distribution map of the pest was drawn through Kriging model in all parts of the greenhouse.