Field evaluations of the kiss, a tractor-mounted sampler, and hand sampling for detecting boll weevils in prebloom cotton

Field experiments were conducted to compare the sampling efficacy and relia bility of a hand-carried pneumatic keep-it-simple sampler (KISS) to that of a tractor-mounted sampler (TMS) for detecting and quantifying the presence of boil weevils in prebloom cotton, and to compare the sampling efficienci es of the KISS, TMS, and hand sampling methods for characterizing early-sea son boil weevil populations. The sampling efficacy of the KISS was about 50 % that of the TMS, and its reliability, as measured by replication sample v ariation, was comparable. Data sufficient to compare the sampling efficacy and reliability of a hand sampling method with that of the KISS and TMS met hods were not obtained because of the excessive times required for hand sam pling of cotton in areas equivalent in size to that sampled by the KISS and TMS methods. Man time requirement comparisons from data obtained in a subs et of experiments revealed that man times required by the KISS and TMS meth ods were of similar magnitudes for sampling cotton at all early growth stag es; whereas, man times required for hand sampling increased with plant deve lopment stage with magnitudes ranging from 6X to greater than 20X those req uired for the KISS and TMS methods as cotton developed from the 4-6 leaf st age through early bloom. Overall sampling efficiencies of the KISS and TMS were comparable, and the efficiencies of both the KISS and TMS were greatly superior to that of the hand sampling method.