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Soybean row-spacing: Effects on arthropod population patterns and sampling considerations

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Abstract

Two soybean field experiments were conducted during 1979 to investigate the effects of different row-spacing patterns (1.0 m vs 0.5 m, and 1.0 m vs broadcast) on population levels of selected herbivorous and beneficial arthropods. Sweepnet sampling was used in both experiments, and the ground-cloth shake method was also used in the 1.0-m vs 0.5-m study. Sweepnet results suggested that both herbivorous and beneficial arthropods tended to be more abundant in narrow row-spacings. However, there were exceptions among both groups, with some species (for example, bean leaf beetle) being more abundant in the conventional row-spacing in one experiment, and with several other species (for example, bigeyed bugs) showing no significant differences. Also, ground-cloth data for lepidopteran larvae showed trends opposite to those from sweepnet data in the 1,0-m vs 0.5-m experiment. Results clearly illustrate the importance of sampling methodology in the interpretation of soybean row-spacing research.

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Mayse, M.A. Soybean row-spacing: Effects on arthropod population patterns and sampling considerations. Environmental Management 8, 325–331 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01868031

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