Feasible sampling plan for the whitefly <i>Bemisia tabaci</i> in bell pepper crops

Abstract Bell peppers ( Capsicum annuum ) play a key role in food production, commerce, and society, with smallholder farmers being the 36 primary cultivators. However, the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) poses a significant threat to bell pepper crops. Traditional control methods rely heavily on the application of insecticides, resulting in increased production costs and ecological concerns. To address this issue, the establishment of decision‐making systems, starting with effective sampling plans, is crucial. This study aimed to develop a practical sampling strategy for assessing B. tabaci populations at different growth stages of bell pepper crops, including vegetative, flowering, and fruiting stages. Over a 4‐year period, commercial bell pepper fields were monitored to determine the optimal sampling technique and sample size. Results indicated that sampling the apical third of the plant's leaves and shaking the plants onto a white plastic tray yielded the most accurate samples. Pest densities followed a negative binomial distribution pattern, with a consistent aggregation parameter (Kc = 0.3339) across all fields. Therefore, assessing 78 plants per field was deemed necessary. The sampling procedure incurred a cost of up to $1.12 per hectare and required approximately 24 min. The simplicity, ease of execution, and low cost of the developed sampling strategy make it suitable for integration into comprehensive pest management programs.