Evaluation of a Leaf-turn Method for Sampling Whiteflies in Cotton

Abstract

Plans for sampling sweetpotato whiteflies in cotton were evaluated within 8,000 acres of cotton within central Arizona. These plans were found to be a practical and efficient way to track whitefly populations. In general they should add about 8 minutes to a pest sampling regime. Neither time of day nor sampler experience were found to have a significant effect on the number of whiteflies counted. Therefore, this method provides a common currency for growers, PCAs and others to compare whitefly numbers among fields and through time.