LeafByte: A mobile application that measures leaf area and herbivory quickly and accurately

In both basic and applied studies, quantification of herbivory on foliage is a key metric in characterizing plant–herbivore interactions, which underpin many ecological, evolutionary and agricultural processes. Current methods of quantifying herbivory are slow or inaccurate. We present LeafByte, a free iOS application for measuring leaf area and herbivory. LeafByte can save data automatically, read and record barcodes, handle both light and dark coloured plant tissue, and be used non‐destructively. We evaluate its accuracy and efficiency relative to existing herbivory assessment tools. LeafByte has the same accuracy as ImageJ, the field standard, but is 50% faster. Other tools, such as BioLeaf and grid quantification, are quick and accurate, but limited in the information they can provide. Visual estimation is quickest, but it only provides a coarse measure of leaf damage and tends to overestimate herbivory. LeafByte is a quick and accurate means of measuring leaf area and herbivory, making it a useful tool for research in fields such as ecology, entomology, agronomy and plant science.

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“…Data are freely available through Dryad Digital Repository https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.jdfn2z377 (Getman‐Pickering et al, ).…”

Section: Data Availability Statementmentioning

confidence: 99%

LeafByte: A mobile application that measures leaf area and herbivory quickly and accurately

Getman‐Pickering

Campbell²,

Aflitto

et al. 2020

Methods Ecol Evol

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“…Measuring herbivory with the LeafByte app for iOS (Getman‐Pickering et al 2020; BioLeaf for Android works similarly, Machado et al 2016). A .…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Student‐led field studies of herbivory: Hands‐on experiences for remote (or in‐person) learning

Berke

Clark

2021

Invertebrate Biology

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Challenging students to independently design and implement experiments is a powerful way to teach the scientific method while engaging with STEM‐related course material. For ecology and organismal biology, such experiences often take the form of field work. The COVID‐19 pandemic presented formidable challenges for instructors of such courses: How can students conduct any experiments, much less ones of their own design, when they might not even have access to campus? Here we describe a student‐led field project exploring invertebrate herbivory in terrestrial plant systems. Designed to flexibly accommodate student groups working either in‐person, remotely, or both, the project would be suitable for invertebrate biology, plant biology, or general ecology courses at the college or high school level. We describe our implementation in two sections of a sophomore‐level course, provide specific advice based on our experiences, make suggestions for future improvements or adaptations, and provide all the written materials that instructors would need to implement this in their own teaching.

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“…The Petri dishes were covered and sealed with Parafilm to prevent larvae from escaping and kept in the darkroom. The leaflet area (cm 2 ) consumed by the larvae was calculated using the iOS LeafByte application 24 . The most consumed leaves represented the most preferred plants for feeding.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The role of Desmodium intortum, Brachiaria sp. and Phaseolus vulgaris in the management of fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) in maize cropping systems in Africa

Scheidegger¹,

Niassy

Midega

et al. 2021

Pest Management Science

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BACKGROUND The fall armyworm (FAW), Spodoptera frugiperda (J.E. Smith) is a serious pest of maize. Farming systems such as push‐pull or maize‐legume intercropping have been reported to reduce FAW infestations significantly. However, the exact mechanisms involved in FAW management have not been practically elucidated. We therefore assessed larval host preference, feeding and survival rate when exposed to four host plants commonly used in push‐pull and legume intercropping. We also compared adult moths' oviposition preference between maize and other grasses used as trap crops in push‐pull. RESULTS The larval orientation and settlement study showed that maize was the most preferred host plant followed by bean, desmodium and Brachiaria brizantha cv Mulato II. The larval arrest and dispersal experiment showed that mean number of larvae was significantly higher on maize than on Desmodium or B. brizantha cv Mulato II. However, no significant differences were found between maize and bean after 24 h. Maize was the most consumed plant, followed by bean, desmodium and finally brachiaria. The mean percentage of survival to the pupation stage was significantly higher on maize. The study on FAW oviposition preference showed no significant differences in egg deposited between maize and other grasses. However, B. brizantha cv Xaraes, which received more eggs than maize, could be a promising alternative to B. brizantha cv Mulato II for the control of FAW. CONCLUSION The study provides a better understanding of the mechanisms involved in the control of fall armyworm under the push‐pull and maize legume intercropping. © 2021 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

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LeafByte: A mobile application that measures leaf area and herbivory quickly and accurately

Cited by 23 publications

References 10 publications

LeafByte: A mobile application that measures leaf area and herbivory quickly and accurately

LeafByte: A mobile application that measures leaf area and herbivory quickly and accurately

Student‐led field studies of herbivory: Hands‐on experiences for remote (or in‐person) learning

The role of Desmodium intortum, Brachiaria sp. and Phaseolus vulgaris in the management of fall armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) in maize cropping systems in Africa

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