Economic Injury Levels for Western Flower Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) on Greenhouse Sweet Pepper

1998 ◽  
Vol 91 (3) ◽  
pp. 671-677 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Shipp ◽  
M. R. Binns ◽  
X. Hao ◽  
K. Wang
1991 ◽  
Vol 123 (5) ◽  
pp. 989-1000 ◽  
Author(s):  
J.L. Shipp ◽  
N. Zariffa

AbstractIntra- and inter-plant spatial patterns were determined for adult and immature western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), on greenhouse sweet pepper at two commercial greenhouses using five sampling methods. The population density of the thrips was monitored biweekly for 4 months from May to August using blue sticky-traps, plant tappings, blossoms, plant leaves, and whole plants. The intra-plant spatial patterns of adult and immature populations of F. occidentalis were aggregated with the majority of the thrips collected from the top one-third of the plant. The inter-plant spatial patterns also were aggregated. The aggregation cluster for the adult thrips was at least three plants in size, although it was surmised to be at the individual plant level for immature F. occidentalis. The accuracy of the blue sticky-trap, plant tapping, blossom, and leaf samples was determined for monitoring the population densities of adult and immature thrips throughout the growing season. It was shown that leaves should be sampled from the middle section of the sweet pepper plant when using this sampling method. A precision-level sampling program was proposed for monitoring adult F. occidentalis on greenhouse sweet pepper. Sampling blossoms was the most cost-effective sampling method based upon time and number of samples for a specific precision level.


2016 ◽  
Vol 85 (4) ◽  
pp. 437-451
Author(s):  
Péter Farkas ◽  
Nóra Bagi ◽  
Árpád Szabó ◽  
Márta Ladányi ◽  
Krisztiánné Kis ◽  
...  

AbstractPolyphagous thrips, like western flower thrips Frankliniella occidentalis and onion thrips Thrips tabaci, are major pests in various ornamental and vegetable crops in greenhouses throughout the world. In Hungary, both of these polyphagous thrips species frequently cause severe damage in many greenhouse crops, especially in commercial sweet pepper. Chemical control is not always feasible because of certain ecological characteristics of these thrips species. The commercially available phytoseiid predatory mites like Amblyseius swirskii and anthocorid flower bugs like Orius laevigatus are often used simultaneously for the biological control of severe thrips infestation in sweet pepper cultivation in Hungary. Our observations demonstrated that the polyphagous thrips assemblages were effectively controlled by the combined release of natural enemies, despite the fact that the establishment of O. laevigatus did not seem to be successful in the first year. Overall, the thrips population density remained below the economic threshold in both years. However, the low infestation level of thrips suggests that a single predator release strategy could be applied effectively and still maintain the thrips below the damage threshold in greenhouse sweet pepper.


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