Use of Rough Sets for the Identification and Analysis of Dependencies and Relationships in Biocontrol of Weeds

This paper is a presentation of results obtained in experiments in which rough set theory´s methods and techniques were applied in the identification and analysis of data dependencies and relationships on an empirical data. The data used pertains to the biological control of the Leafy Spurge weed in the prairies of Western Canada. The project used an agent beetle known as Aphthona nigriscutis (A. n.). The rough set theory was applied to the data in order to identify and analyze the different factors affecting the success of the biological control of the host weed. Discovery and confirmation of meaningful patterns and the computation of a set of rules for the critical application of agent beetle in the control of the host weed were very encouraging.