Recognizing the Importance of Ecoinformatics in Agricultural Entomology

Abstract

Ecology relies on collecting, integrating, and interpreting large volumes of diverse data, which remains a greater challenge for ecologists. Ecoinformatics could provide a solution that integrates agricultural and ecosystem sciences with computer sciences, geographic information sciences and quantitative methods. It provides tools and techniques for organizing and converting ecological data into information and knowledge. The use of ecoinformatics in entomology progresses from documenting pest and disease patterns and their colonization, pest impact on crop yield to the food web and farmer’s decision making. However, there are still numerous obstacles to overcome, particularly when it comes to integrating ecoinformatics methods into mainstream research and education. Several technical and sociocultural challenges like collaboration with statisticians, developing data sources, data privacy concerns and developing mobile platforms for pest management remain some of the major hurdles. Since it is akin to experimental methodology, ecoinformatics-based techniques when well-integrated, give a more optimal solution to pest management problems than any single strategy employed independently.