Houdini: Asian corn borer larval movement calculator
2018
Benigno, E.A. | Caasi-Lit, M.T.
Larval movement is one basic information needed for designing refuge systems for an efficient insect resistance management program. Larvae are observed to move around mixtures of Bt and non-Bt corn plants in the field in what appears as 'escape routes' in avoiding Bt plants. These movements may be active (deliverate, if larvae can detect Bt plants) or passive (carried by wind or other physical factors). A program to track the direction and magnitude of larval movement was developed in Excel. This program was named after a famous escape artist, 'Houdini'. The program computes the shortest distance travelled by the larvae from release point applying the Pyrgagorean theorem based on distances defined by the x and y coordinates of the plants of interest. The hypotenuse in the distance travelled. The release point is at the center of the plot (origin of point (0,)). This program was used to simulate larval movements based on observed larval distribution in 20 configurations of mixed stands of Bt and non-Bt plants. The number of recovered larvae decreased exponentially at distances from the release point. Most larvae tended to stay in the career or travel shorter distances as the proportion of Bt plants increased around the center. This program can also be used to track larval dispersion in connection with family line studies.
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