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Title: EFFICIENCY COMPARISONS OF THE KISS, A TRACTOR-MOUNTED SAMPLER, AND HAND SAMPLING FOR DETECTING BOLL WEEVILS IN PREBLOOM COTTON

Author
item Beerwinkle, Kenneth
item Coppedge, James
item O Neil, Thomas - Mike

Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/15/1998
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary: In order to make good pest management decisions, farmers and crop consultants must perform in-field sampling of prebloom cotton to detect the presence of insects such as boll weevils. Such sampling is usually performed by visual examination of individual cotton plants which is very tedious and labor intensive. Research was conducted to compare the sampling efficiencies of a hand-carried pneumatic keep-it-simple sampler (KISS), a tractor-mounted pneumatic sampler (TMS), and the visual plant-examination method for early-season detection of boll weevils in cotton. The overall sampling efficiencies of the KISS and TMS were comparable in terms of results, reliability, and labor costs, and the efficiencies of both of these mechanical devices were greatly superior to that of the hand sampling method. The greater portability and lower equipment costs of the KISS, in comparison to the TMS, should make it the preferred method in many boll weevil sampling applications.

Technical Abstract: Field experiments were conducted to compare the sampling efficacy, reliability, and efficiency of a hand-carried pneumatic keep-it-simple sampler (KISS) to that of a tractor-mounted sampler (TMS) and whole-plant hand sampling for detecting and quantifying the presence of boll weevils in prebloom cotton. The sampling efficacy of the KISS was about 50% that of the TMS, and its reliability, as measured by replication sample variation, was comparable. Sampling efficacy and reliability of the hand sampling method were not determined. The overall sampling efficiency of the KISS, in terms of results reliability and cost in man time, was comparable to that of the TMS and greatly superior to that of the hand sampling methods.