| Abstract: | A distributed-parameter population dynamics model is developed specifically for use with variational optimization techniques. The objective is to develop a modeling/ optimization technique that will permit the development of optimal control policies which minimize combined costs of pest control and economic-yield loss. The model results and optimal control policies are continuous and distributed in time and in insect age. The technique is applied to a study of control by pesticide of the southern green stink bug, Nezara viridula (Linnaeus), a major pest of soybeans in the South. In this case study, the model results agree well with field-survey results, while the optimal control trajectories are reasonable and suggest several avenues for further study. |
