Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies 2015; 3 (2): 92-99

E-ISSN: 2320-7078
P-ISSN: 2349-6800
JEZS 2015; 3 (2): 92-99
Pest detection and control techniques using
2015 JEZS wireless sensor network: A review
Received: 03-03-2015
Accepted: 11-04-2015
Saeed Azfar, Adnan Nadeem, Abdul Basit
Saeed Azfar
Department of Computer
Science, Federal Urdu University Abstract
of Arts, Science and Technology, Pakistan is an agricultural country which depends on agriculture and crops for its economic survival.
University Road Karachi. WSN is an emerging technology all over the world and it is used in agriculture for monitoring different
parameters. In this paper we review literature related to general agriculture monitoring, pest disease
Adnan Nadeem monitoring, and different pest control mechanisms. We analyze and classify pest control mechanism in
Department of Computer technological, non-technological and integrated solutions. Then we compare the pest control mechanisms
Science, Federal Urdu University based on their effectiveness, cost and other performance parameters. Finally, we analyze the feasibility of
of Arts, Science and Technology, pest control mechanisms based on the use of WSN for farmers in developing countries.
University Road Karachi.
Keywords: wireless sensor network (WSN), Pest Monitoring, Detection Techniques, Precision
Abdul Basit
Agriculture
Department of Computer
Science, Federal Urdu University
of Arts, Science and Technology, Introduction
University Road Karachi. Pakistan is an agricultural country and agriculture constitutes the largest sector of the
economy. Majority of the population, directly or indirectly depends on this sector. It
contributes about 24 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) and accounts for half of
employed labor force and our agro based products is responsible for 80% of the countrys
foreign exchange earnings as well as supplying the raw materials needs of the other industries
of the country [3].
Pakistan loses over 2.3 million cotton bales every year due to the cotton leaf curl virus
(CLCV), which is considered to be the one of the top reasons for Pakistans low cotton yield,
particularly in the Punjab region. CLCV is a deadly virus that is transmitted by a small insect
called white fly: a sucking pest of cotton and vegetables [1]. Similarly, recently, a new problem,
generally known as reddening or red-leaf-disease is now becoming a serious problem in
various cotton crops belts of Pakistan especially in the Sind region [2].
Cotton serves as a perfect host for variety of insects. The cotton pests in our region have
greatest diversity. More than 90 insects and mites are found to be damaging for the cotton crop
in Pakistan. Major threats for cotton crops in Pakistan are American (Helicoverpa armigera)
and Pink (Pectinophora gossypiella) boll worm, Cotton leaf folder (sylepta derogata), spotted
boll worm (Earias insulana), Army worm (spodoptera litura), Thrips (Thrips tabaci), White
fly (Bemisia tabaci) [3] which spreads rapidly and are difficult to control without loss. Existing
systems for forecasting the disease and its spread mostly depends on farmers' personal
monitoring of crop and their previous experiences. After certain age of plant the farmer has to
inspect personally each plant and if symptoms are found, pesticides and fungicides are
immediately applied in huge quantity to prevent disease. This can defined as the extent of the
real time monitoring or data. The drawback of this activity is that not only is it a time
consuming and resource wasting activity, but also that one has to wait to detect symptoms, and
hence one is unable to detect the disease at an early stage.
Cotton is one of the major agriculture products of Pakistan. Pakistan is the fifth largest
producer of cotton in the world, the third largest exporter of raw cotton, the fourth largest
consumer of cotton [41]. Farmers need to be very careful from the initial stage to get maximum
quantity and good quality of product. To reduce the cost of production and enhance the
Correspondence:
Saeed Azfar quantity and quality of cotton, latest technologies can help. Technology can help farmers to
Department of Computer monitor crops efficiently and potentially remotely detect destructive insects / pests and to
Science, Federal Urdu University prevent their relevant disease in early stage [4].
of Arts, Science and Technology, We believe that technology could help the farmers to monitor different types of parameter
University Road Karachi.
timely and cost effectively. There have been several studies of WSN in agriculture for general
~92~
Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies

parameter monitoring [5, 6, 9, 10, 11, 12] but our focus is mainly pest WSN technology has several benefits as well as limitations.
control especially with WSN. It boosts their output as is shown Controlled irrigation and proper use of fertilizer can reduce
by the fact that other countries are using it and benefiting from wastage and preserve resources. Proper use of pesticides could
it. reduce our loss and maintain and improve quality of product
The paper is arranged as follows; in section II we described and boost profitability. WSN has various issues which include
wireless sensor network (WSN) and its application in limited power, physical security of hardware and software and
agriculture. In section III we present a brief review of existing security issues in routing operations; they are all still need to
pest monitoring systems from literature. In section IV we be addressed.
present review of pest control methods and its classification. In PA is turning into a modern science with the help of wireless
Section V, we present their comparison with our analysis. sensor networks and other technologies. In future PA will
Finally, we summarize the paper and highlight future work in deals and take care of following branches of agriculture
section VI. science with technology orientation.

2. Wireless Sensor Network Environment Shield: PA helps to reduce Nitrogen, Methane

Wireless sensor network (WSN) has proved to be very useful and Carbon and other dangerous gases and liquid emission.
in specific applications requiring monitoring of real time data.
Precision agriculture is among one of them. Recently the Crops Surveillance: Primarily focus is to monitor and
agriculture domain has incorporated WSN to support its major understand needs of crops according to weather and managing
monitoring operations. Precision agriculture is the science of available resources.
precise understanding, estimating and evaluating crops
condition with the aim of determining the proper use of Proficient Resource Distribution: WSN can help to reduce
fertilizer and the real needs of irrigation, both sowing and wastage, preserve precious resources and effective utilization
harvesting seasons [5, 6, 7]. But now we associate it with more them. In results efficiency has been improved, efforts decrease
complex and precise tasks like monitoring different and boost economy [10].
parameters, pest indications, related disease and crop
concurrent status. Future Tool: Farmers will use this WSN technology for their
Precision agriculture (PA) is an integrated information and benefits in future. Many agricultural areas could benefit if used
production-based farming system that is designed to increase properly. Some agriculture areas are still in research and
long-term, site specific and complete crop efficiencies, among researchers like pest monitoring and control, immediate
productivity with profitability as well as minimizing need of pesticides, monitor need of water and fertilizer [11, 12, 13]
unintended impacts on wild life, the environment and Wireless sensor network is now being increasingly used in the
equipment failure [5, 6] Figure.1 shows wireless sensor network agricultural domain. WSN has been frequently used for
deployment for agriculture. general monitoring of the agriculture field for example [5, 6, 10,
11, 12, 13]
A WSN is an ad-hoc network; generally WSN does not require . However, few researchers have focused on pest
infrastructure like other technologies to operate. It may consist detection and control using WSN. And therefore in this paper
of multiple unassisted embedded devices (nodes) which we have reviewed pest monitoring and control papers currently
process and transmit data collected from different on-board in use.
physical sensors (temp, wetness, humidity, pressure, soil
moisture etc.). It also includes base station which acts as 3. Pest Monitoring Systems
gateway between nodes or nodes and end user. It could be a In this section, we review the current trends in the use of
single or multi hop network. WSN's across the subject of pest monitoring and control.
Many WSN applications have been proposed so far in precision Pest detection and control is at least as old as agriculture
agriculture, which include monitoring vineyards in Italy and because there has always been a need to keep crops free from
Spain to various fruits vegetable as well as plant cultivation in pests. A number of techniques so far proposed for pest control
rural areas and green houses in Portugal, Ireland, Netherlands; in agriculture using wireless sensor network. In this part of the
and some research is still going in India as well [6]. paper we will review and present different types of proposed
mechanisms and techniques and analyze the research work of
different authors and compare the relative pros and cons. Table
I illustrate crops and their related pest which are reviewed in
literature.
Table I: Crop vs. Pest
CROP PEST/ Disease
Cocos Nucifera L RPW Larvae [16]
Grapes Downy Mildew [4]
Sugar Cane Shoot borer, Rood borer [5]
Groundnut Vectors (e.g. Thrips) [8]
Green houses RPW [14]
Date Palm Tree Red Date Palm Weevil (RDPW) [18]
Vineyard North American leafhopper [19]
Ivy Geranium, Two spotted spider mites (TSM: Tetranychus
Impatiens urticae) [27]

In [8] the authors review the crop-weather-pest relations and

data mining with WSN for peanut crops pest and disease
Fig 1: A Typical WSN deployment for agriculture applications [6] interaction in India, The research work is a part of the Indo-
~93~
Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies

Japan multi-disciplinary ICT initiative called geo-ICT and In [4] authors proposed a solution to detect specific disease
sensor network based decision support system for agriculture. (downy mildew) in Grapes in India at a very early stage. The
They conduct an experiment to understand the crop-weather real time system that detects downy mildew pest / disease is
and pest relation using wireless sensor network and based on just weather data. The proposed system is to provide
independent pest and disease dynamics of peanut crops. It uses a remote node with ultra low cost and the user has to maintain
many data mining techniques to turn the data into useful only a remote node instead of main node at a farm. A central
information and correlation of crop / pest / disease and climate server can be accessed through web applications to get all
field. An attempt has been made to understand the hidden details of current weather conditions and disease forecast
relationship between interrelated disease and pest and weather which depends strongly on climate of the farm plot by plot as
parameters. In the end, they develop a collective prediction shown in Fig.2.
model, which could aid future respective improved measures.

Fig 2: Layout of proposed System [4].

In [14] authors proposed a solution for monitoring traps which There have been a number of valuable studies to monitor pest
they used to capture pest by means of image sensors. The insect using latest technologies. However, none of these
authors proposed a low-cost system based on battery powered studies provide a self-sufficient monitoring system based on
wireless image sensors, which are able to capture and send low cost image sensors covering areas with very low energy
images of the trap contents to a remote control station with utilization. High scalability with low power consumption made
specific frequency demanded by trapping application. These it possible to deploy both green houses and larger plantations.
image sensors accurately monitor pest population with a It is also used for several kinds of insects instead of some
higher temporal resolution. During this monitoring process no specific insects. Using image recognition algorithm is able to
human intervention is demanded. According to authors there is identify RPW individuals with a success rate higher than 95%.
a significant reduction in monitoring cost as well. However All corresponding meta data with timestamp, GPS location,
there seems to be no intelligent image processing activity. processing, results etc are conveniently store in the control
Whilst the focus of this work is mainly on red palm weevil station, they can be accessible in real time by means of internet
(RPW, Rhynchophorus Ferrugineus (Oliver)) but it is not service provider available at the location of control station.
limited to that pest. It could be used for monitoring many other In [16] authors proposed a monitoring system to detect red palm
kinds of pests. Pest monitoring proposal is based on RPW weevil (RPW) larvae with the help of acoustic sensor devices.
traps equipped with wireless image sensors that are spread Authors mentioned that acoustic detection of this pest is the
over the monitoring area forming a wireless Image sensor best and most cost-effective solution among all. According to
network (WISN). Trap monitoring process which works on authors it is also able to distinguish between various pests
unattended mode has some extra benefits like it reduces the which give this technology an edge over others. The proposed
monitoring cost: it is programmable and higher temporal system is for efficient sugarcane crop production. The system
resolution of trap monitoring data. In addition, monitoring data would employ an acoustic device sensor for monitoring the
can be available in real time through an internet connection. pests noise level and whenever the noise level crosses the
~94~
Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies

threshold it will notify to the farmer of the specific area where destroyed annually. The proposed system will be able to cover
the infestation is occurring. Using this technology the need of large amount of area with very low energy consumption.
the farmer to go to each and every part of the crop and perform In [17] the authors proposed an efficient protection mechanism
survey is reduced significantly. The acoustic sensors node will of palms from RPW larvae. The feeding habit of the RPW is
be connected to the base station to which each sensor will concealed, very much like termite in wood. They can be
transmit the noise levels whenever the noise level crosses a detected acoustically by the noise emitting from them. The
predefined threshold level. infestation whereby detected only during the last stage and
The base will then transmit the information to the control room farmer come to know of the problem only when the tree is
computer which will indicate to the farmer where the about to die. During the detection phase, the sensors along
infestation is occurring so that the necessary action can be with communication modules containing a transceiver are
undertaken. After successful identification a farmer can then attached to a tree and latched to the network of the access
take the necessary measures to spray insecticides over the points nearby. In this proposal each access point receives the
crops and will aid detection of infestation at a very early stage information from eight palms in the vicinity of its radio range.
and will greatly reduce the percentage of sugarcane crop being

Table II: Pest control Mechanisms in literature using wsn.

Papers / Authors Analysis of Symptoms Identification of Pests Management Pest
Spraying of pesticides
Real time system that detect Downy Mildew pest
Sarika Datir 2014 [4] No identification mechanism. automatically if disease
based on weather data.
probability is Severed.
No identification mechanism.
Real time decision support
K Tripathy 2013 [8] Weekly data collected manually Specific crop, pest and
system for prediction of disease
disease.
O. Lopez 2012 [14] Schedule image captured. No identification mechanism Removal of pest by Traps.
An alarm signal to turn inform
Continuously observe the noise level being the operator and
N Shirivastav 2013 No identification mechanism
[16] collected by the various sensors and comparator farmer can then take the
for specifying pest.
that is set to a particular threshold level necessary measures to spray
insecticides
Comparison of detected noise
Acoustic activities of larvae i.e. chewing, crawling, No control measures are
Srinivas 2013 [17] / sound with prerecorded
emission and quick oscillating sounds. mentioned.
sound of RPW.
Acoustic emissions produced by the
Comparison of detected noise Isolating or treating the infected
Mohammad A. Al- RDPW inside the date palm tree were successfully
/ sound with prerecorded trees with appropriate
Manie 2007 [18] recorded
sound of RPW. chemicals.
And identified using special sensor.
Real time prototype data collection and based on
weather data assume that disease vector is
Mauro Prevostini No identification of pest Pesticide, when it
spreading.
2011 [19] mechanisms exists. is absolutely necessary,.
Which will use the temperature readings to
simulate the spread of the disease vector

The received information is routed to the server via the algorithm for detection of North American leafhopper which is
secondary access point that is wire connected to the server. the vector for bacteria that causes a disease named flavescence
The main server processes the received information to analyze doree that ruin wine crops each year. They worked on an
the current scenario on the Palm tree. Each tree is attached initial prototype of a small wireless sensor network as well as
with the sensor apparatus. The recorded sound signals are on an algorithm that could be used to calculate the spread of
continuously transmitted to the nearest access point (repeater) the disease. For detection purposes the sensor will be placed
from which it is sent to the server. The sounds were recorded directly on grapevine stems and shoots to take air temperature
and a MATLAB program was used to calculate the readings. Then the data will transmitted to control room
fundamental frequency of the sound. No action or management computer over wireless sensor network; which will use the
of pest is mentioned and they used NS2 for simulation. temperature readings to simulate the spread of the disease
In [18] the authors proposed a technique to detect hidden insect vector. The warmer the temperature becomes the faster the
infestation of date palm tree (phoenix dactylifera L) with the leafhopper will proliferate. Once a critical threshold has been
help of acoustic instruments. They use acoustic sensor for reached, the system will issue an alert signal enabling
early discovery of the presence of a destructive insect pest winegrowers to act at the right time. Alongside this approach,
commonly known as the red date palm weevil (RDPW) its pesticides will only be used when it is absolutely necessary. At
scientific name is Rhynchophorus ferruginous (Oliver). They the end this protects both the environment and worker with
record acoustic emission produced by the RDPW that infect their crop. Winegrowers should be able to reduce their pest
date palm trees and then analyzed using signal processing control costs by about 25% each season with this new system.
methods. Acoustic sensors such as special probes are inserted A disadvantage of this method is the cost and time involved in
in the palm tree trunk in order to record sounds produced by placing these WSN across the crop region.
the insect especially in the early stages of its life known as Table II provides a summary of some of the pest control
larval stage where the feeding and other activities of insects mechanism using WSN surveyed in this section, where
are at their maximum. Once the sound produced by the pest is sufficient information is available in the original papers. The
available through the usage of acoustic sensors. advantages and best potential use of the presented sensor
In [19] the author proposed a WSN prototype with related technologies are shown in agriculture. We observe that there is

~95~
Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies

still a huge gap in pest management using WSN. methods into three categories. First is based on non
This review is expected to evaluate the effectiveness of technological pest control methods while second is those using
different pest management options in local context. A lot of technological solution and integrated pest management is third
research has been done on monitoring of agriculture through category. Figure 3 shows our classification of pest control
WSN for example. [4, 8, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19] However, few of them methods.
were concerned about the use of WSN in pest detection and
control. Therefore, there is a need for development of a system a. Non technological Control methods
for detection and control of pests in crops. Chemical pest control is still the predominant type of pest
control today [20]. Some pesticides target specific insects,
4. Pest Control Methods rodents, weeds or fungi, while others are broad and manage a
Chemical pesticides date back 4500 years, when the Sumerians wide range of unwanted organisms. There is a smart move to
used sulfur compound as insecticide. The rig Veda, which is reduce the use of pesticides in favor of more environment
about 4000 year old, also mentions the use of poisonous plants friendly methods of pest control. Although pesticides, that is
for pest control. As early as 1911, cultural control in the form chemicals that kill or manage the population of pests, have
of removal of cotton sticks by first of August every year was been used for many years, several alternative pest control
made compulsory by law to prevent some pests like bollworm methods have been developed.
on cotton in India. In the 20th century, the discovery of several One common alternate method used for controlling pests is
synthetic insecticides, such as DDT, and herbicides boosted biological control, which is when natural predators of the pest
this development. [33] We review only major methods with the are introduced to prey on or parasitize the pest. Biological
aim of appropriate solution. control as a management tool dates back over 1,000 years
In traditional cotton pest control methods, the strategy heavily when ancient Chinese citrus growers used ants to control
depends upon the severity and infestation of pests. Choice is caterpillar larvae infesting their trees. It is one of the safest
available for farmers for sucking pests during early phase of methods of control since it is not toxic, pathogenic or injurious
crop and bollworms during the mid and late seasons. to humans [21]. When using this method, farmers get natural
Prevention of key pests and their control is essential for good predators of the pest and release them into their fields so that
and healthy production. Now we may divide pest control the predators can manage the pest population.

Although biological control can be very beneficial but are Natural chemical control is another alternate method of pest
prone to cause problems as well for the environment. management that utilized chemical compounds found in the
Sometimes, biological control organisms begin to take over an environment to manage pests. The most common used natural
environment and can cause harm to non-pest organisms. chemicals are pheromones and hormones, which are specific to
Unfortunately, once biological control organisms are the pest species being targeted and have limited influence on
introduced into the environment, they are almost impossible to other species [22].
remove. One more disadvantage of biological control is, if
they act differently than expected, it could be possible that b. Technological Control Methods
they can do more damage than the existing pesticides they are As agricultural technology has advanced under the pressure of
supposed to eliminate. increasing population and rising quality of life expectation,
~96~
Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies

scientists have developed alternative methods of pest for effectiveness and risk. Effective, less risky pest controls are
management that focus on the genetics of the organisms. chosen first, including highly targeted chemicals, such as
Genetic control is the method of pest management where the pheromones to interrupt pest growth and mating, or
crops are genetically altered so that they are resistant to pest mechanical and biological control, such as trapping or
and diseases caused by pests. Crops can be genetically altered weeding. If further monitoring, identifications and action
in ways that produce chemical or physical barriers to prevent thresholds indicate that less risky controls are not be able to
harm from pest [22, 34]. control, then additional pest control methods would be
Genetic control has made it possible to reduce the harm done employed, such as targeted spraying of pesticides. IPM is
by pests. Genetic modification has so many benefits including become an essential component for a sustainable cotton
longer shelf life, enhanced agronomic traits, insect resistance production in developed countries. Brute force spraying of
and tolerance to various environmental agitations. There are non-specific pesticides is a last option. [22, 30, 33, 35 36]
some worries over altering the genetics of organisms. Many Development in wireless sensors technology techniques enable
people are concerned that by genetically altering crops it might us to take better decision based on information received from
lower the nutritional value of the crop, cause harm to data monitoring. The literature reviewed indicated that there is
beneficial organisms lower overall genetic diversity and a gap in the use of WSN in detection and management of pest
create new food allergies. control.
All alternate pest management methods have been very useful
in their specific conditions with specific crops: they also have 5. Comparison of Pest Control Methods
some related issues with related to them. Due to associated Pest control techniques are widely studied these days but still a
issues pest control science still wide open for research and still huge vacuum exists to determine appropriate competitor to
scientist searching for new options and technology to reduce pests which is economically compatible, ecologically viable
the existing risk. and environmental friendly. To reduce current challenges in
With the advances in electronics and information technologies, pest control more efforts are required to develop more
advances are also expected in the use of lights with various intensive integrated pest management system and adopted into
sensing systems have been introduced for specialty crop practice. Similarly, environmental impact of agriculture these
monitoring and production. Latest development in this field is days is at least in quantitative terms, practically well
the introduction of wireless sensor network for monitoring pest conventional and this sector is regularly known as guilty of
and precision agriculture. Timely and accurate information pollution [24, 25, 26, 27, 31].
concerning the spatial inconsistency within crops is very Pesticides or chemical control is a legacy pest control method.
important. Sensing technology for pest and disease detection is It has been in use for hundreds of years and its effectiveness is
most advanced and can provide the data required for site very high compared to all other methods. But the condition of
specific management. Sensing technologies for disease pesticide approvals is frequently changing as many of the older
detection is based on more complex communication between generation pesticides development (one of the example is
plant and sensor and making them more difficult to implement. DDT) in the 1950s-1980s are under review these days [39, 40].
Some European countries and India are using WSN for Due to several draw backs regarding environment and human
precision crops and monitoring pest with some pest control health, world health organization and pesticides action
methods [13, 23]. network banned it in several European countries. Moreover
Insurance companies do not cover crop insurance because of
c. Integrated Pest Management their draw backs. Even if these chemicals applied according to
In addition to these specific alternative pest control methods, a label instructions, it is harmful [39, 40]. In Pakistan, our farmers
complex managements system, known as integrated pest use it badly in their crop for pest control. According to local
management system (IPM) has also been developed. farmers expenditure of treatment plays a vital role for us. We
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) is an efficient and always prefer local manufacture chemicals. This is neither
environmentally sensitive approach to insect control that relies environment friendly nor is it good for human health and
on a mixture of common pest control practices. IPM programs product. It is observed that biological control is neither cost
use current, comprehensive information on the life cycles of effective nor exclusive as chemical control is. Other
pests and their growth and interaction with environment. This parameters like human health, environment has much better
information, in combination with available pest control values as compare to chemical. Sometime biological control
methods, is used to manage pest damage by the most proved dangerous to the crops because those pests which were
economical way, and with the slightest feasible risk to people, sent to control pests destroyed the crop themselves.
property, and the environment. IPM is not a single pest control Application of genetic control is increasing and it has been the
method but, rather, a series of pest management evaluations, most rapidly adopted technology in the recent period of
decisions and controls. IPM first sets an action threshold, a agriculture and food biotechnology [34]. However its
point at which pest populations conditions specify that pest implementation in crops has led to significant panic about their
control action must be taken. The level at which pests will safety and strength. We also know that every innovation bring
either become an economic threat is critical to guide future own risks to the environment, product and industry. The
pest control decisions. Not all insects, weeds, and other living reduction in use of chemicals for pest control is most obvious
organisms require control. Many organisms are harmless, and environment benefits along with many others.
some are even beneficial for crops. IPM programs work to We always adopt technology which has comparatively low
monitor for pests and identify them accurately, so that suitable risk; genetically modified crops available in both developing
control decisions can be made in combination with action. As and developed countries with their potential benefits with
a first line of pest control, IPM programs work to manage the some of their risks. The possible risks associated with
crop to prevent pests from becoming a danger. Once cultivation and use of destructive plants. Introduction of
monitoring, identification, and action indicate that pest control allergenic protein into foods, damaging effect on other genus
is required, and protective methods are no longer effective, and raise biodiversity fear, probable risk associated elements.
IPM programs then evaluate the proper control method both
~97~
Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies

Table III: Pest control methods [28, 30, 31, 32, 34, 36]
Environment Labor
Pest Control Methods Cost Human Health Product Quality Effectiveness
Friendly Saving
Pesticides / Chemical Low Low Low Low Low High
Biological Medium High High Medium Medium Medium
Genetic Medium High High Medium Medium Medium
Integrated Pest Management System High Medium Medium High High High
Wireless Sensor Networks Medium High High High Medium High

Environmental effects, farmers and wildlife health are major 6. Conclusion and Future Work
hindrance of pesticides. Uncertain behavior of biological Today, technology is a stakeholder in every industry. We are
control along with uncontrollable by nature attitude. in need of technology in every field of life for process
Controversial position of genetic modification is still creating automation and effectiveness. Role of technology in
a huge gap for pest control. Integrated pest management agricultural field is increasing due to many reasons. Several
approach is gaining momentum in developed countries since challenges exist due to diversity in pest detection and control
eighties although high cost along with some limitations. IPM methods. In this paper we reviewed pest control literature and
is an essential part of crop yield which has two important classify control mechanism as non technological, technological
elements. First it comprises a series of measures and second and integrated pest management. We also compared all
comprises control methods. IPM intention should avoid any existing mechanisms with the help of certain parameters.
predefine set of pest management technique. Current practiced Comparison and analysis of pest control methods in this paper
IPM is specific to pest, disease and weeds but it should involve has encouraged us to use WSN for effective pest control in
integration of different control processes against any single developing countries with affordable cost. Our focus in future
pest with no exceptions. Effects of IPM vary because of is on designing and implementing WSN test beds for pest
heterogeneity across regions, time, pests and types of crop monitoring and control system. Designed system will check
growth. According to experts it can be a success in any crop or the infestation at early stage and notify the farmer of the crop
region if it applied over wide areas and strike heavily with the where the infestation is taking place. It will reduce the burden
help of background research as well [33]. of farmers by preventing them to manual monitoring of the
Besides all pest control methods mentioned above we have field.
wireless sensor network as pest control technique. WSN is
new in this industry with this type of application. 7. References
Traditional methods of pest control have its own limitation as 1. Daily News papers Article, 2014.
discussed earlier in this section. Therefore, our focus is on http://www.nation.com.pk/business Accessed March 2014
smart, systematic technological solution with low labor cost. 2. Farmers Knowledgebase, 2014.
These systems could offer high effectiveness with high level of http://www.pakissan.com/english/allabout/crop/cotton.
pest / disease predictions. It will enable us to take right Accessed March 2014
decision at right time. WSN with prediction algorithm and 3. Federal Board of Statistics, Govt. of Pakistan, Economic
application promising us to (i) reduce cost and efforts to Wing, 2008-09.
control pests, (ii) real time monitoring and analysis of their http://www.pbs.gov.pk/content/agriculture-statistics.
behavior and activities,(iii) provide a platform for studying and Accessed March 2014
applicable solution to similar problem with some desired 4. Sarika datir, Sanjeev wagh. Monitoring and detection of
extensions [37]. agriculture disease using WSN, IJCA 2014; 87:0975-
When we glance over local circumstance in Pakistan we come 8887.
to know that our farmers use so many techniques to control 5. Patil P., Vidya H, Patil S, Kulkarni U. Wireless Sensor
pests. The first and foremost is chemical pesticides then Network for Precision Agriculture, International
biological and somewhere IPM is used. There is a need to Conference on Computational Intelligence and
develop techniques which encourage natural control as well as communication systems, 2011.
other high tech solution [38]. It is also recommended to use 6. Mampentzidou I, Karapistoli E AA. Economides: Basic
technological pest control techniques using WSN. We believe Guidelines for deploying Wireless Sensor Networks in
this can provide the farmers an alternate solution to chemical Agriculture: The 4th International Workshop on Mobile
insecticides in developing countries like Pakistan. Table III Computing and Networking Technologies, 2012.
presents the comparison of pest control methods based on 7. Cheng J, Liang G. Double barrier Coverage in Dense
define parameters. Through which farmers can make decision sensor Networks, Journal of Computer Science and
about their crops and yields. These parameters include cost, Technology, Jan, 2008.
environment, farmers health, labor and effectiveness of 8. Tripathy AK, Adinarayana J, Sudharsan D, Vijayalakshmi
various treatments, impact on productivity. We further K, Merchant S, Desai UB. Data Mining and Wireless
categorized them to find out which one would prove more Sensor Network for Groundnut Pest / Disease Interaction
effective comparatively. As we know, some issues of and Prediction A Preliminary Study ISSN 2013; 5:2150-
developed countries are in contrast to developing countries. 7988.
Priorities and needs in develop countries are not similar to 9. Panchard J. Wireless Sensor Networks for Marginal
developed countries: where human health and environment are Farming in India. PhD Thesis. Ecole Polytechnique
more important than wealth; But in some developing countries Lausanne: EPFL, 2008.
there is a greater concern for quality of products and its 10. Vinayak SV, Dr Mrs Apte SD. Real Time Monitoring of
economics [36]. Agri-Parameters Using WSN for Precision Agriculture,
International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer
Science and Software Engineering, 2013, 3(9).
~98~
Journal of Entomology and Zoology Studies

11. Wang N, Zhang N, Wang M. Wireless Sensors in http://www.ehow.com/info_8088070_advantages-

agriculture and food industry- Recent Development and disadvantages-biological-control.html Accessed May
future perspective, Elsevier Computer and electronics in 2014.
Agriculture, 2006. 30. William GM, Linker HM, Waldvogel MG, Leidy RB,
12. Zhand N, Wang M, Wang N. Precision Agriculture- A Schal C. Comparison of Conventional and Integrated Pest
worldwide Overview, Elsevier Computer and Electronics Management Programs in Public Schools, Entomological
in agriculture, 2002. Society of Amercia, 2005.
13. Lee WS, Alchanatis V, Yand C, Hirafuji M, Moshou D, 31. Beech CJ, Koukidou M, Morrison NI, Alphey L.
Li C. Sensing Technologies for precision specialty crop Genetically Modified Insects: Science, Use, Status and
production; Elsevier Computer and Electronics in Redulation, Collection of Biosafety Reviews International
agriculture, 2010. Center of Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology
14. Lopez O, Rach MM, Migallon H, Malaumbres MP, (ICGEB), 2012, 6.
Bonastre A, Serrano JJ. Monitoring Pest Insect Traps by 32. Thresher RE. Genetic Options for the Control of Invasice
Means of Low-Power Image Sensor Technologies, Vertebrate Pests: Prospects and Constraints Managing
Sensors ISSN, 2012, 1424-8220. Vertebrate Invasive Species, 2007.
15. Patil P, Vidya H, Shreedevi P, Umakant K. Wireless 33. Vennila S, Ramasundram P, Raj S, Kairon MS. Cotton
Sensor Network for Precision Agriculture, International IPM and Its Current Status, CICR Technical Bulletin #,
Conference on Computational Intelligence and and 2000, 8.
communication system, IEEE, 2011. 34. Singh OV, Ghai S, Paul D, Jain RK. Genetically Modified
16. Srivastav N, Chopra G, Jain P, Khatter B. Pest Monitor Crops: success, safety assessment and public concern,
and control system using WSN with special referance to Appl. Microbiol Biotechnol, 2006.
Acoustic Device; ICEEE 27th Jan, 2013. 35. Ahmad B, Anjum R, Ahmad A, Yousaf MM, Hussain M,
17. Srinivas S, Harsha KS, Sujatha A, Kumar N. Efficient Muhammad W. Comparison of different methods to
protection of palms from RPW Larvae using WSN: IJCSI control fruit fly (Carpomyia Vesuviana) on BER. Pak.
2013, 10(3):2. Entomol 2005; 27(2).
18. Mohammad A Al-Manie, Mohammad I Alkanhal. 36. Aziz MA, Hasan M, Ali A, Iqbal J. Comparative efficacy
Acoustic Detection of the Red Date Palm Weevil; of different strategies for management of spotted
IJERECE 2007; 1:2. Bollworms, Earias spp on Okra, Pakistan Journal of Zool,
19. Mauro prevostini. Wireless Sensor Network for Pest 2012, 44(5).
Control, Commission for Technology and innovation CTI, 37. Mehdipour F, Nunna KC, Murakami KJ. A Smart cyber-
2011. physical system-based solution for pest control.
20. Pest Control Techniques, Encyclopedia, 2014. International conference on Green computing and
http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=614646055 communication and IEEE internet of thinds ad IEEE
Accessed Cyber Physical and Social Computing, 2013.
21. Charlet LD, Olson D, Glogoza PA. Biological Control of 38. Mahmood R, Rehman A, Ahmed M. Prospects of
Insect and Weed Pests in North Dakota Agriculture. biological control of citrus insect pests in Pakistan,
NDSU Extension Service, 2002. Journal of Agric. Research, 2014.
22. Educational Knowledbase for Alternate Pest control 39. Pesticides Action Network, Europe August, 2014.
Methods, 2013-2014. http://education- http://www.pan-
portal.com/academy/lesson/alternative-pest-control- europe.info/Resources/Links/Banned_in_the_EU.pdf
methods-for-agricultural-use.html#lesson Accessed June Accessed September 2014
2014 40. Pest Control Techniques, Encyclopedia
23. Shimoda M, Honda Ki. Insect reaction to light and its http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DDT Accessed July 2014
application to pest management, Appl Entomol and Zool, 41. Business New papers web site.
2013. http://www.brecorder.com/cotton-a-
24. Antinelli A, Coletta A, Pucci C. Economic comparison of textiles/625:/1255561:record-production-of-cotton-bales-
Traditional, Guided and Biological Pest Control in Italian expected/?date=2013-11-21
Potato Production., Workshop on pesticides, policy
measure to control environmental impacts from
agriculture. Wageningen, The Netherland, August 24-27,
1995.
25. Akhtar W, Sengupta D, Chowdhury A. Impact of
Pesticides use in agriculture: Their benefits and hazards,
Interdisc Toxicol, 2009, 2(1).
26. Gianessi L, Reigner N. Barriers to widespread conversion
from Chemical Pest Control to non-Chemical Methods in
US Agriculture, Pest and Nutrient Management. Track 1.
27. Holt KM. Opit G, Nechols JR, Margolies DC, Williams
KA. Comparing chemical and biological control strategies
for Twospotted Spider Mites in mixed production of Ivy
Geranium and Impatiens, Hort Technology, Research
Report, 2007.
28. Agriculture Knowledgbase by Damien Campbell, 2014.
http://www.ehow.com/about_6626772_Biological-vs-
chemical Accessed May 2014
29. Agriculture Knowledgbase by Damien Campbell, 2014.
~99~