Bemisia tabaci MEAM1 population surveys in soybean cultivation

Abstract

There is no sampling methodology defined for the whitefly Bemisia tabaci MEAM1 (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in soybean crops. We optimized a plan, through the minimization of total sampling variance, to evaluate population density of various whitefly stages, based on a feasible sample size. The sampling plan proposed for N1–N4 immature stages consists of four random sampling points in a field. Per point, four leaflets are collected per third of a plant's height (one leaflet per plant), evaluating 1 cm2 per leaflet.