Conventional Sampling Plan for Common Blossom Thrips, Frankliniella schultzei (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), in Bell Pepper

Bell pepper [Capsicum annuum L. (Solanales: Solanaceae)] is cultivated worldwide, and the consumption of its fruits has increased because this plant is a functional food rich in antioxidants. Frankliniella schultzei (Trybom) is an important bell pepper pest worldwide. Sampling plans are essential components of integrated pest management programs. Thus, we developed a conventional sampling plan for F. schultzei in bell pepper. The work was conducted during 2 yr in commercial bell pepper fields in the vegetative, flowering, and fruiting stages. Our results indicated that the sample and the ideal technique for the evaluation of F. schultzei populations in bell pepper were the apical canopy and the beating of this part of the plant in a white plastic tray, respectively. The densities of F. schultzei were adjusted to a negative binomial distribution, and they presented a common aggregation parameter (K-common = 0.3176), which made it possible to generate a sampling plan that could be used in bell pepper plantations at all plant growth stages. The developed sampling plan consisted of an evaluation of 61 plants per field that took 23 and 38 min to run on 1 and 5 ha fields, respectively. In the 1 and 5 ha fields, US$1.27 and US$1.92 were spent per sampling, respectively. Thus, the plan developed in this work can be incorporated into integrated management programs for F. schultzei in bell pepper crops by facilitating the accurate, representative and feasible sampling of this pest at all stages of the plant.