Development and validation of a binomial sequential sampling plan for the greenbug (Homoptera : Aphididae) infesting winter wheat in the southern plains
Kl. Giles et al., Development and validation of a binomial sequential sampling plan for the greenbug (Homoptera : Aphididae) infesting winter wheat in the southern plains, J ECON ENT, 93(5), 2000, pp. 1522-1530
From 1997 to 1999, Schizaphis gramintum (Rondani), intensity (number per ti
ller) was estimated on 115 occasions from hard red winter wheat fields loca
ted throughout the major wheat growing regions of Oklahoma. A total of 32 a
nd 83 fields was sampled during the fall and spring, respectively. The para
meters of linear regressions relating the mean number of greenbugs per till
er (m) and the proportion of infested tillers (P-T) differed significantly
between fall and spring infestations. The P-T - m linear model provided a g
ood fit for data on S. graminum for fall and spring infestations at tally t
hresholds of 0, 1, 2, and 3. A tally threshold (T) represents the number of
greenbugs present on a tiller before the tiller is classified as infested
by >T greenbugs. A regression model with a tally threshold of 2 was the mos
t precise for classifying S, graminum populations during fall growth of win
ter wheat because it explained a greater amount of the variation in the P-T
- m relationship (97%) than models with other tally thresholds. A separate
spring model with a tally threshold of 1 was the most precise for classify
ing S. graminum populations during spring growth of winter wheat. Sequentia
l sampling stop lines based on sequential probability ratio tests were calc
ulated for economic thresholds of 3 or 6 greenbugs per tiller for fall infe
stations and 6 or 9 greenbugs per tiller for spring infestations. With the
newly developed parameters, the average sample number required to classify
greenbug populations near economic thresholds las above or below the econom
ic threshold) varied from 69 to 207. We expect that the sampling plans for
greenbugs in winter wheat developed during this study will be efficient and
useful tools for consultants and producers in the southern plains.