By following methods pest sampling can be done to understand the activity of the pests in tasar ecosystem.
– Counting Insects on Plant Parts- Host plant pests like defoliating beetles and caterpillars
– Light traps- Stemborer, Bark eater and defoliators
– Sticky traps-Gall fly
– Time Counts-The person responsible for sampling counts the number of insects seen during a one- or two-minute visual search of the plant. Useful for Predatory wasps, Predatory bugs and Ichneumon Fly
– Aerial nets- for ichneumon fly and wasps
– Visual examinations: for predatory bugs and defoliators
– Based on population indices- like Defoliation, Frass, Nests, or webs, Emergence holes and bore holes
B. Guidelines for soil sampling
Sampling time:Sampling should be done during dry seasons preferably during the month of February in order to eliminate anomalies caused in nutrient status due to leaching. Sampling spots: Sampling of a give plot should be done from 10-15 spots spanning the plot in a zigzag manner.
Sampling method: The surface litter at the spot of sampling should be carefully removed since litter (even small pieces) will contribute to measurements of organic C and macronutrients. Soil sampling should be done up to a depth of 12 inches (1 foot) and can be either core sampling or slice sampling. Core sampling is done using auger which can be inserted into the soil up to the desired depth and a cylindrical core of the soil can be removed for sampling.
Slice sampling is done by making a V cut in the soil up to the desired depth and collecting the representative sample as shown below.