COMPARISONS OF ADULT WHITEFLY (HOMOPTERA, ALEYRODIDAE) SAMPLING TECHNIQUES IN COTTON WITH WHITEFLY ADULT-POPULATIONS FROM WHOLE-PLANT SAMPLES

Seven sampling methods for adult whitefly Bemisia spp. were evaluated in cotton. Sampling methods included three types of yellow sticky card traps, two insect suction sampling devices, a black pan coated with a thin film of oil to trap dislodged whitefly adults, and whole plant s ampling by enveloping plants in individual plastic bags. The black pan , bug buster, and D-Vac sampling methods were found to be good estimat ors of whole plant adult Bemisia spp. whitefly population levels, each being highly correlated to whole plant samples. The black pan method was the least expensive, quickest, and least labor intensive sampling method.