Sampling plan for Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) on cucumber

This work determines the best technique, sampling unit and the number of samples to compose a sampling plan for Frankliniella schultzei (Trybom) and Thrips palmi (Karny) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) on cucumber. The efficacy of three sampling techniques: leaf beating on a plastic tray, direct counting of insects on the lower leaf surface, and whole leaf collection in bags were compared in nine commercial cucumber crops using three sampling units (a leaf from a branch located in the apical, median or basal third of the canopy). The number of samples was determined based on the relative variance and the economic precision for the best technique and sampling unit. The direct counting of insects on the apical third of the plant canopy was the best sampling technique for F. schultzei based on one leaf surveyed per plant using 38 plants per field. The best sampling technique for T. palmi was the leaf beating on a tray using one leaf of the apical third per plant and 35 plants per field. When joining both species, the best sampling system was the direct counting on the apical third, and it requires sampling one leaf per plant using at least 35 plants per field. These results facilitate the decision-making for the management of thrips on cucumber and aggregate the benefits of the correct decision for the adoption of strategies for population reduction.