Common Species: | |
Frankliniella fusca (Hinds) - tobacco thrips | |
Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) - western flower thrips | |
Frankliniella tritici (Fitch) - flower thrips | |
Thrips palmi (Karny) - melon thrips | |
Thrips tabaci - onion thrips | |
Common name: | |
thunderflies | |
thunderbugs | |
storm flies | |
thunderblights | |
storm bugs | |
corn flies | |
corn lice | |
Damaging stage: | |
Adults and larvae | |
Crops Affected: | |
Cucurbits, solanaceous, legumes, brassicas, cotton, tobacco | |
Characteristic Damage: | |
Leaves, flowers and fruits can be affected. | |
Feeding causes upward curling of leaves, older leaves become silvery, speckled and distorted and may drop prematurely. | |
Infested petals may exhibit color break or discoloration of tissues. | |
Severely infested plants may become stunted. | |
They are vectors of tospovirus (Watermelon silver mottle virus (WSMov), Tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), Melon necrotic spot virus (MNSV), Melon yellow spot virus (MYSV), Iris yellow spot virus (IYSV). | |
Management and Control: | |
Monitor the area regularly. | |
Prune heavily infested leaves and dispose properly. | |
Remove weeds and volunteer plants that may serve as alternate hosts. | |
Cultivate the soil by harrowing and plowing and use plastic mulch to repel the thrips and reduce pupation on the soil. | |
Apply insecticides like spinosad, fipronil and acephate, azadirachtin, dinotefuran, acetamiprid, pymetrozine when necessary. | |
Use of pathogens like the nuclear polyhedrosis virus and entomopathogenic fungi Aspergillus flavus, Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae to reduce cutworm population. | |
Apply botanical insecticide like neem extract. | |
Apply insecticides like spinosad (e.g. SuccessⓇ, EntrustⓇ), deltamethrin (e.g. Decis®, DecideⓇ, ScoutⓇ, Agro DeltametrinⓇ), acephate (e.g. Acetam®, BlackhawkⓇ) or dimethoate (e.g. Perfecthion®), fenitrothion (e.g. Sumithion 50Ⓡ). | |
References: | |
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thrips | |
http://www.ipm.ucdavis.edu/PMG/PESTNOTES/pn7429.html | |
Denoyes B., Bordat D, Bon Hde, Daly P. 1986. A new pest of vegetable crops in Martinnique: Thrip palmi (Karny).Agronomie Tropicale, 41(2): 167-169 | |
Fedorov SM, 1930. Tobacco thrips (Thrips tabaci Lind.) as a pest of tobacco plant in Crimea.Eos, 6:229-248. | |
Johnson M.W., 1986. Population trends of anewly introduced species, Thrips palmi (Thysonoptera: Thripidae), on commercial watermelon planting in Hawaii. Journal of Economic Entomology, 79(3): 718-720 | |
Klein M. Franck A., Rimon D, 1986.Proliferation and branching of cotton seedling: The suspected cause-Thrips tabaci, the influence on yield , and test to reduce damage.Phytoparasitica, 14(1): 25-37 | |
Lewis T (ed.), 1997. Thrips as Crop Pests.Wallingford, UK: CAB International. | |
Nakahara S, 1994. The genus Thrips Linnaeus (Thysonoptera:Thripidae) of the New World. Technical Bulletin-United Stataes Department of Agriculture, no. 1822: vi + 183pp. |
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