Abstract
An autonomous robot (Cabbot) was built to control insect pests in a plastic greenhouse and utilized to sample adult whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci) on paprika plants (Capsicum annum var. angulosum). To accomplish this, a sampling device consisting of an air compressor for pest agitation, a sticky trap (100mm×150mm) and an image processing system for pest identification were installed on the Cabbot. The sampling precision of the Cabbot (D=0.16) was higher than that of the sticky trap (D=0.19) when sampling of adult white flies was conducted in caged pots. The Cabbot could also collect a substantial number of individuals within a short duration (3minutes). The collection efficiency (i.e., percent of samples collected at least n (1 in this case) individuals to the total sample number) of insects by the Cabbot was markedly high at low population size, showing approximately 30% when the population size was ≤16 individuals per plant. The sampling precision and collection efficiency suggested that the Cabbot is effective in local, short-term sampling and could be used for early warning of pest occurrences.
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