The objective of this work was to study the spatial dispersion of the cowpea aphid (Aphis craccivora Koch) in the cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) and to determine the sample size required to estimate the pest population, for use in Integrated Pest Management programs. In order to do this, two field experiments were carried out at the Federal University of Ceará in Fortaleza, Brazil. The first with an area of 216 m², consisting of 15 plots. The second with an area of 576 m² divided into 25 plots. The cultivar "Vita 7" was used, with plants spaced 0.25 m x 0.8 m apart. Data were collected six times for each experiment, when ten plants per plot were evaluated. The total of aphid colonies present was counted for each plant. The results obtained from the clustering indices which were employed indicate that dispersion of A. craccivora in the field is of the aggregate type, which was confirmed by fitting the data to the negative binomial distribution of frequency. Forty-five is a suitable number of samples in the estimation of the population of A. craccivora in fields planted with V. Unguiculata, for use in integrated pest management programs.
Vigna unguiculata (L) Walp; Aphis craccivora Koch; Frequency distribution; Integrated pest management
