Comparison of Sampling Intensity to Estimate Infestations of Coffee Berry Borer on Hawaii

Abstract

Sampling coffee fruit for coffee berry borer, Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari), infestation can be a labor-intensive task. We compared three berry sampling intensities (count infestation on all berries per branch, the currently recommended procedure; on five berry clusters; and on three berry clusters), to determine whether reduced sample sizes resulted in a loss of accuracy in estimating proportion of berries damaged. Results show that sampling three or five clusters of berries per tree would significantly reduce sampling effort, with no significant change in accuracy of the estimated proportion damaged by coffee berry borer.