Patent ID: 9726580
Date: 2017-08-08
CPC Classifications: A01G,A01M,G01N

Claim:
1. A method for testing a plant, the method comprising: providing a first plant and a second plant adjacent to the first plant in a contiguous sample of soil, the first plant and second plant each having a root system; treating a ground area proximate only one of the first plant and the second plant with eggs of the pest of interest; and covering at least a portion of the root system of the first plant and the second plant with an emergence cage, the emergence cage including a frame defining a perimeter, a mesh material coupled to the frame, a center section supported by the frame, a first plant opening in the center section, the first plant opening configured to receive the first plant, a second plant opening in the center section, the second plant opening configured to receive the second plant, the first plant opening and the second plant opening both being laterally centered along a longitudinal direction of the center section of the emergence cage and the second plant opening being spaced apart from the first plant opening along the longitudinal direction, and a collection container for collecting the pests of interest emerging from the covered portion of the root systems of the first and second plants, the collection container being positioned longitudinally between the first plant opening and the second plant opening and being laterally centered along the longitudinal direction of the center section of the emergence cage, wherein the second plant opening has a first dimension taken along a lateral direction and a second dimension taken along the longitudinal direction perpendicular to the lateral direction, the second dimension being greater than the first dimension.