There is no sampling methodology defined for the whitefly Bemisia tabaci MEAM1 (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in soybean crops. We optimized a plan, through the minimization of total sampling variance, to evaluate population density of various whitefly stages, based on a feasible sample size. The sampling plan proposed for N1–N4 immature stages consists of four random sampling points in a field. Per point, four leaflets are collected per third of a plant's height (one leaflet per plant), evaluating 1 cm2 per leaflet.

The soybean stem fly [Melanagromyza sojae (Diptera: Agromyzidae)] is a pest widely distributed in the Asian continent. In Brazil, its occurrence has been reported since the 1980s, but it had not been reported in Brazilian Savannah areas yet. This is the first record of M. sojae in this region of great importance for the soybean world production. Specimens of the soybean stem fly were collected in a volunteer soybean area, in April 2018, in the Goiás state, Brazil, and sent for molecular identification. The similarity index of the collected specimens with M. sojae was higher than 99 %, thus confirming the identification of the species. The infestation level in the collection area was approximately 100 % of plants with damage caused by this insect. In Brazil, the occurrence of M. sojae, up to the present time, had been described as restricted to the southern states. This record raises the hypothesis that M. sojae is widespread in other agricultural areas of the Brazilian Savannah, and that its dissemination is favored by the maintenance of volunteer soybean.

Several metrics exists to evaluate the impact of publications and researchers, but most are based on citation counts, which usually fail to capture the temporal aspect of citations. Time to first citation represents a useful metric for research evaluation, and informs the speed at which scientific knowledge is disseminated through the scientific community. Understanding which factors affect such metrics is important as they impact resource allocation and career progression, besides influencing knowledge promotion across disciplines. Many ecological works rely on species identity, which is the coin of taxonomy. Despite its importance, taxonomy is a discipline in crisis lacking staff, funds and prestige, which ultimately may affect the evaluation and dissemination of taxonomic works. We used a time-to-event analysis to investigate whether taxonomic, socioeconomic, and scientometric factors influence first citation speed across hundreds of ecological and taxonomic articles. Time to first citation differed greatly between these areas. Ecological studies were first cited much faster than taxonomic studies. Multitaxa articles received first citations earlier than studies focused on single major taxonomic groups. Article length and h-index among authors were negatively correlated with time to first citation, while the number of authors, number of countries, and Gross Domestic Product was unimportant. Knowledge dissemination is faster for lengthy, multitaxa, and ecological articles relative to their respective counterparts, as well as for articles with highly prolific authors. We stress that using several unrelated metrics is desirable when evaluating research from different-and even related-disciplines, particularly in the context of professional progression and grant allocation.