Crop nutrient status and attractiveness to pests

Nutrient status plays a major role in host selection by pests. In this study, we collected maize leaves during the growing season and exposed them to spider mites in an experimental three-choice bioassay. We demonstrated that a combination of drought stress and nutrient status could partially explain the preference pattern of spider mites. We also demonstrated that hyperspectral imaging data (405-907 nm) of crop leaves could be used to predict both nutrient status and preference pattern of spider mites. The results presented provided encouraging support for risk assessment of spider mite infestations through reflectance-based monitoring of potassium content in maize plants.