Frankliniella schultzei (Trybom) is a serious pest of melon crops and is commonly found in the main producing areas of melon in Brazil (North and Northeast regions). This pest causes significant losses, damaging plants through feeding and tospovirus vectoring. Thus, the proper management of F. schultzei is crucial to prevent economic losses, and knowledge of the within-field distribution patterns of F. schultzei can be used to improve this pest management. This study aimed to determine the within-field distribution (through semivariogram modeling and kriging interpolation) and the factors associated with F. schultzei abundance in open-field yellow melon crops. We surveyed four yellow melon fields located in Formoso do Araguaia (Tocantins state, North Brazil) for thrips abundance in various crop stages (vegetative, flowering, and fruiting) in 2015 and 2016. Twelve models were fitted and it was determined that F. schultzei counts were strongly aggregated. The median spatial dependence was 4.79 m (range 3.55 to 8.02 m). The surface maps generated by kriging depicted an edge effect in fields 3 and 4. In addition, correlation analyses indicated that air temperature and presence of surrounding cucurbits are positively associated with F. schultzei abundance in yellow melon fields. Altogether, these insights can be combined for spatially based pest management, especially when the conditions (cucurbits in the surroundings and warmer periods) are favorable to F. schultzei.

中文翻译：

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Frankliniella schultzei（缨翅目：蓟马科）在露地黄瓜中的空间分布，强调周围植被作为初始侵染源的作用

Frankliniella schultzei（Trybom）是瓜类作物的严重害虫，常见于巴西瓜类主产区（北部和东北地区）。这种害虫会造成重大损失，通过摄食和 tospovirus 载体破坏植物。因此，对 F. schultzei 的适当管理对于防止经济损失至关重要，而对 F. schultzei 田间分布模式的了解可用于改善这种害虫管理。本研究旨在确定田间分布（通过半变异函数建模和克里金插值）以及与露地黄瓜作物中 F. schultzei 丰度相关的因素。我们调查了位于 Formoso do Araguaia（巴西北部托坎廷斯州）的四个黄瓜田，了解不同作物阶段（营养、开花、和结果）在 2015 年和 2016 年。拟合了 12 个模型，并确定 F. schultzei 计数强烈聚合。中位空间依赖性为 4.79 m（范围 3.55 至 8.02 m）。克里金法生成的表面图描绘了字段 3 和 4 中的边缘效应。此外，相关性分析表明，气温和周围葫芦的存在与黄瓜田中 F. schultzei 丰度呈正相关。总而言之，这些见解可以结合用于基于空间的害虫管理，特别是当条件（周围环境和温暖时期的葫芦）有利于 F. schultzei 时。克里金法生成的表面图描绘了字段 3 和 4 中的边缘效应。此外，相关性分析表明，气温和周围葫芦的存在与黄瓜田中 F. schultzei 的丰度呈正相关。总而言之，这些见解可以结合用于基于空间的害虫管理，特别是当条件（周围环境和温暖时期的葫芦）有利于 F. schultzei 时。克里金法生成的表面图描绘了字段 3 和 4 中的边缘效应。此外，相关性分析表明，气温和周围葫芦的存在与黄瓜田中 F. schultzei 的丰度呈正相关。总而言之，这些见解可以结合用于基于空间的害虫管理，特别是当条件（周围环境和温暖时期的葫芦）有利于 F. schultzei 时。