Alice Barbutti Barreto, Daiane das Graças do Carmo, Damaris Rosa de Freitas, Darliane Mengali dos Reis, Letícia Caroline da Silva Sant’Ana, Jhersyka da Silva Paes, Pedro Henrique Queiroz Lopes, Marcelo Coutinho Picanço
Bell pepper ( Capsicum annuum L.) is one of the most consumed vegetables worldwide, and it is managed using different technological levels. The whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is one of its most important pests, and it can cause losses of up to 100%. Sampling plans are essential components of integrated pest management (IPM) programs and they must be adapted to each crop. They can be classified as fixed sampling plans (FSP) or sequential sampling plans (SSP). Sequential sampling plans generally have lower sampling cost and time. The objective of this work was to develop and validate SSPs for B. tabaci in bell pepper crops managed with high, medium, and low technological levels. The SSPs were validated in 63 commercial bell pepper fields. The minimum sample sizes required for decision-making by the SPPs were 12, 10, and 9 for crops with high, medium, and low technological levels, respectively. In over 90% of the fields, SSPs and CSPs supported the same decision. The use of SSPs reduced sampling time by more than 80%. Therefore, the SSPs developed in this study are promising for incorporation into IPM programs because they lead to correct, fast, and low-cost decisions.