scholarly journals Exclusion of Flying Insect Pests From a Plastic Hoop Greenhouse by a Bamboo Blind-Type Electric Field Screen

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 50
Author(s):  
Yoshihiro Takikawa ◽  
Yoshinori Matsuda ◽  
Teruo Nonomura ◽  
Koji Kakutani ◽  
Shin-ichi Kusakari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Electric Field ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Western Flower Thrips ◽  
Leaf Miner ◽  
Tomato Plants ◽  
Voltage Range ◽  
Flower Thrips ◽  
Positive Voltage ◽  
Tomato Leaf Miner ◽  
Direct Current Voltage

The present study describes an economically efficient method for controlling viruliferous whiteflies in a plastic hoop greenhouse, using a bamboo blind-type electric field screen (Bb-EFS) to create a pest-free space. The Bb-EFS had a layer of insulated round iron conductor bars (IBs) and two electrostatic direct current voltage generators that supplied negative or positive voltage to the IBs. The IBs were placed parallel at 4-mm intervals and were connected alternately to a negative or positive voltage generator. Adult test insects (whiteflies, western flower thrips, and tomato leaf miner flies) were blown at up to 5 m/s towards the IBs to identify the voltage range that would capture all the test insects. The results showed that a force ≥ 5.0 kV was strong enough for the IBs to capture all test insects, despite a wind speed of 5 m/s. The Bb-EFS was practical for a greenhouse that experienced frequent invasion by numerous viruliferous whiteflies. Seedlings grew normally inside the Bb-EFS-installed greenhouse. As a supplementary method, an electrostatic insect sweeper and electrostatic flying insect catcher were used to trap whiteflies that avoided the Bb-EFS. Both pieces of apparatus were convenient and easy to operate onsite in a greenhouse environment and were used to trap whiteflies residing on tomato plants or flying inside the greenhouse during daily plant care. These methods controlled the whitefly population to negligible levels, and nearly all tomato plants produced normal fruits.

scholarly journals Developing a Phototactic Electrostatic Insect Trap Targeting Whiteflies, Leafminers, and Thrips in Greenhouses

Insects ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 960
Author(s):  
Yoshihiro Takikawa ◽  
Teruo Nonomura ◽  
Takahiro Sonoda ◽  
Yoshinori Matsuda
Keyword(s):  
Electric Field ◽  
Frankliniella Occidentalis ◽  
Western Flower Thrips ◽  
Dielectric Polarization ◽  
Liriomyza Sativae ◽  
Flower Thrips ◽  
Insect Trap ◽  
Positive Voltage ◽  
Filling Water ◽  
Oppositely Charged

Our aim was to develop an electrostatic apparatus to lure and capture silverleaf whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci), vegetable leafminers (Liriomyza sativae), and western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis) that invade tomato greenhouses. A double-charged dipolar electric field producer (DD-EFP) was constructed by filling water in two identical transparent soft polyvinyl chloride tubes arrayed in parallel with fixed separation, and then, inserting the probes of grounded negative and positive voltage generators into the water of the two tubes to generate negatively and positively charged waters, respectively. These charged waters electrified the outer surfaces of the opposite tubes via dielectric polarization. An electric field formed between the oppositely charged tubes. To lure these phototactic insects, the water was colored yellow using watercolor paste, then introduced into the transparent insulator tubes to construct the yellow-colored DD-EFP. This apparatus lured insects in a manner similar to commercially available yellow sticky traps. The yellow-colored DD-EFP was easily placed as a movable upright screen along the plants, such that invading pests were preferentially attracted to the trap before reaching the plants. Furthermore, pests settling on the plants were attracted to the apparatus, which used a plant-tapping method to drive them off the plants. Our study provided an experimental basis for developing an electrostatic device to attract and capture insects that enter greenhouses.

Predation Efficacy of Rove Beetle (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae) Adults in Response to Western Flower Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) Pupal Stage, Predator–Prey Ratio, and Searchable Area

2020 ◽  
Vol 55 (3) ◽  
pp. 350-365
Author(s):  
Yinping Li ◽  
Raymond A. Cloyd ◽  
Nora M. Bello
Keyword(s):  
Laboratory Experiments ◽  
Frankliniella Occidentalis ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Western Flower Thrips ◽  
Pupal Stage ◽  
Predator Prey ◽  
Flower Thrips ◽  
Rove Beetle ◽  
Below Ground ◽  
Minimal Information

Abstract The rove beetle, Dalotia coriaria (Kraatz) (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae), is a soil-dwelling predator that preys upon insect pests residing in growing media. Minimal information exists addressing its predation on western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), below-ground life stages. Two laboratory experiments were conducted to assess the effects of western flower thrips pupal stage, predator–prey ratio, and searchable area on predation efficacy of rove beetle adults. In Experiment 1, predation was recorded in response to two thrips pupal stages (prepupae and pupae); three predator–prey ratios (1:5, 1:10, 1:15) and predator–prey ratios that were 2, 3, and 4 times greater. Experiment 2 was designed to assess predation in response to those predator–prey ratios along with searchable areas in 15.2- and 11.5-cm-diameter containers. Response was measured by capturing thrips adults on yellow sticky cards (YSC) as they emerged from pupation. The estimated mean probability of thrips adults captured on the cards was significantly higher for the 1:5 (61.1%) than for the 1:10 (39%) and 1:15 (34.7%) predator–prey ratios. The estimated mean probability of thrips adults captured on the cards for 2 times the predator–prey ratio (57%) was significantly higher than 3 times (37.2%) and 4 times (40.6%) the ratios. A significantly higher estimated mean probability of thrips adults was captured on the cards in the 15.2-cm-diameter containers than in the 11.5-cm-diameter containers. We conclude that a predator–prey ratio of 1:15 would result in fewer rove beetle adults needed to reduce western flower thrips prepupae/pupae stages and subsequent adult populations.

scholarly journals Increased water salinity applied to tomato plants accelerates the development of the leaf miner Tuta absoluta through bottom-up effects

2016 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Peng Han ◽  
Zhi-jian Wang ◽  
Anne-Violette Lavoir ◽  
Thomas Michel ◽  
Aurélie Seassau ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
High Salinity ◽  
Saline Water ◽  
Development Rate ◽  
Tuta Absoluta ◽  
Water Salinity ◽  
Leaf Miner ◽  
Bottom Up ◽  
Tomato Plants ◽  
Tomato Leaf Miner ◽  
Pupal Mass

Abstract Variation in resource inputs to plants may trigger bottom-up effects on herbivorous insects. We examined the effects of water input: optimal water vs. limited water; water salinity: with vs. without addition of 100 mM NaCl; and their interactions on tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum), and consequently, the bottom-up effects on the tomato leaf miner, Tuta absoluta (Meytick) (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae). Plant growth was significantly impeded by limited water input and NaCl addition. In terms of leaf chemical defense, the production of tomatidine significantly increased with limited water and NaCl addition, and a similar but non-significant trend was observed for the other glycoalkaloids. Tuta absoluta survival did not vary with the water and salinity treatments, but the treatment “optimal water-high salinity” increased the development rate without lowering pupal mass. Our results suggest that caution should be used in the IPM program against T. absoluta when irrigating tomato crops with saline water.

scholarly journals Effect of Silicon fertilization on two major insect pests of tomato under greenhouse conditions

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aqeel Alyousuf ◽  
Dawood Hamid ◽  
Mohsen A. Desher ◽  
Amin Nikpay ◽  
Henk-Marten Laane
Keyword(s):  
Population Density ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Insect Pest ◽  
Tomato Leaf ◽  
Leaf Miner ◽  
Pest Species ◽  
Tomato Crop ◽  
Soil Drench ◽  
Tomato Leaf Miner ◽  
Acid Formulation

Abstract Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L) is an important vegetable crop in Iraq. This horticultural crop is attacked by several insect pest species. Among them, the whitefly Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) and the tomato leaf miner Tuta absoluta Meyrick (Lepidoptera: Gelechiidae) are the major threat of greenhouse tomatoes in Basrah province in south Iraq. The management of these pests is heavily based on application of chemical pesticides. Vast application of pesticides caused harmful damage to the environment, human health and may increasing the risk of pest resistance on insect populations. One of the promising strategies which are compatible with organic farming is application of silicon for enhancing plant vigor and resistance to pest damage on various agricultural crops. Due to these facts, the experiments have been carried out at Basrah University to evaluate the effects of silicon (Si) fertilization on tomato plants for reducing damage of these two major pests. Treatments comprised two type of Si applications (Soil drench treatment and foliar spraying) with four Si concentrations (0, 0.5, 1 and 2%) of AB Yellow ® silicic acid formulation. The population density of B. tabaci and T. absoluta were studied weekly during the growth season. The results clearly demonstrated that Silicon applications significantly decreased the population of immature of both whiteflies and tomato leaf miner on tomato crop in the greenhouse; Si-Foliar spraying was more effective in reducing the population density of these key pests compared to Si- soil drench application.

scholarly journals Effect of Plant-growing Media on Western Flower Thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, Pupae and Fungus Gnat, Bradysia sp. nr. coprophila, Larvae under Laboratory Conditions

HortScience ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 55 (8) ◽  
pp. 1323-1326
Author(s):  
Nathan J. Herrick ◽  
Raymond A. Cloyd
Keyword(s):  
Frankliniella Occidentalis ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal Fungus ◽  
Larval Mortality ◽  
Mycorrhizal Fungus ◽  
Western Flower Thrips ◽  
Arbuscular Mycorrhizal ◽  
Growing Media ◽  
Flower Thrips ◽  
Fungus Gnat

Western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, and fungus gnats (Bradysia spp.) are major insect pests of greenhouse production systems. Both insect pests have life stages that reside in the soil or plant-growing medium: prepupae and pupae of western flower thrips and fungus gnat larvae. There are unsubstantiated allegations made by a manufacturer that certain plant-growing media that contain a bacterium, Bacillus pumilus, and arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus, Glomus intraradices, negatively affect the survival of western flower thrips pupae and fungus gnat larvae. Therefore, we conducted a study involving laboratory experiments replicated over time (2019 and 2020) to investigate the influence of the plant-growing media Pro-Mix BX + Mycorrhizae and Pro-Mix BX + Biofungicide + Mycorrhizae on western flower thrips pupae and fungus gnat larvae. All experiments involved placing western flower thrips pupae or fungus gnat larvae (second and third instar) into 473-mL deli containers with the different treatments (plant-growing media). A 5 × 4-cm section of a yellow sticky card was affixed to the lid of each deli container. After 21 days, the number of western flower thrips or fungus gnat adults that emerged from the growing media and were captured on the yellow sticky cards was recorded. The use of the yellow sticky card was an indirect assessment of western flower thrips pupal or fungus gnat larval mortality. We found none of the plant-growing media tested that contained a bacterium and/or arbuscular mycorrhizal fungus affected the survival of western flower thrips pupae or fungus gnat larvae. Therefore, greenhouse producers should be leery of information provided by manufacturers that does not contain valid, scientifically based data.

scholarly journals Expression of a gene for an MLX56 defense protein derived from mulberry latex confers strong resistance against a broad range of insect pests on transgenic tomato lines

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. e0239958
Author(s):  
Mika Murata ◽  
Kotaro Konno ◽  
Naoya Wasano ◽  
Atsushi Mochizuki ◽  
Ichiro Mitsuhara
Keyword(s):  
Crop Production ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Western Flower Thrips ◽  
Transgenic Tomato ◽  
Strong Activity ◽  
Common Cutworm ◽  
Flower Thrips ◽  
Expression Of Genes ◽  
Crop Resistance ◽  
Wide Range

Insect pests cause serious damage in crop production, and various attempts have been made to produce insect-resistant crops, including the expression of genes for proteins with anti-herbivory activity, such as Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) toxins. However, the number of available genes with sufficient anti-herbivory activity is limited. MLX56 is an anti-herbivory protein isolated from the latex of mulberry plants, and has been shown to have strong growth-suppressing activity against the larvae of a variety of lepidopteran species. As a model of herbivore-resistant plants, we produced transgenic tomato lines expressing the gene for MLX56. The transgenic tomato lines showed strong anti-herbivory activities against the larvae of the common cutworm, Spodoptera litura. Surprisingly, the transgenic tomato lines also exhibited strong activity against the attack of western flower thrips, Frankliniera occidentalis. Further, growth of the hadda beetle, Henosepilachna vigintioctopunctata, fed on leaves of transgenic tomato was significantly retarded. The levels of damage caused by both western flower thrips and hadda beetles were negligible in the high-MLX56-expressing tomato line. These results indicate that introduction of the gene for MLX56 into crops can enhance crop resistance against a wide range of pest insects, and that MLX56 can be utilized in developing genetically modified (GM) pest-resistant crops.

scholarly journals A Promising Physical Pest-Control System Demonstrated in a Greenhouse Equipped With Simple Electrostatic Devices That Excluded All Insect Pests: A Review

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (18) ◽  
pp. 1 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yoshihiro Takikawa ◽  
Koji Kakutani ◽  
Yoshinori Matsuda ◽  
Teruo Nonomura ◽  
Shin-ichi Kusakari ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Control System ◽  
Electric Field ◽  
Solanum Lycopersicum ◽  
Pest Control ◽  
Direct Current ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Free Air ◽  
Current Voltage ◽  
Direct Current Voltage ◽  
Oppositely Charged

Applied electrostatic engineering can be used to construct greenhouses that prevent entry of insect pests. Two types of electric field screen were used to exclude pests from the greenhouse: single- and double-charged dipolar electric field screens (S- and D-screen, respectively). The S-screen consisted of iron insulated conductor wires (ICWs) arrayed in parallel (ICW-layer), a grounded metal net on either side of the ICW-layer, and a direct current voltage generator. S-screens were attached to the side windows of the greenhouse to repel whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci) that approached the nets. The D-screen was installed in a small anteroom at the greenhouse entrance to capture whiteflies entering through it. The ICW-layers of the D-screen were oppositely charged with equal voltages and arrayed alternately, and an insulator board or grounded metal net was placed on one side of the ICW-layer. The ICW-layers captured whiteflies entering the electric field of the double-charged dipolar electric field. Three screens equipped with yellow or gray boards or a grounded metal net were installed in the anteroom based on the airflow inside the room, as most whiteflies were brought in by air when the door was opened. Two D-screens with boards were useful for directing the airflow toward the wall with the netted D-screen. This screen eliminated the insects and the pest-free air was circulated inside the greenhouse. The D-screen with the yellow board attracted the whiteflies and was effective for trapping them when there was no wind. Our method kept the greenhouse pest-free throughout the entire period of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum) cultivation.

scholarly journals Insect Management in Floriculture: How Important Is Sanitation in Avoiding Insect Problems?

2006 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 633-636 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian K. Hogendorp ◽  
Raymond A. Cloyd
Keyword(s):  
Frankliniella Occidentalis ◽  
Insect Pests ◽  
Western Flower Thrips ◽  
Quantitative Information ◽  
Management Program ◽  
Insect Management ◽  
Flower Thrips ◽  
Growing Medium ◽  
Pot Marigold ◽  
Central Illinois

Sanitation, which includes removing plant and growing medium debris, is an important component of any greenhouse or nursery pest management program. However, there is minimal quantitative information on how sanitation practices can reduce pest problems. In this study, conducted from May through Nov. 2005, we evaluated plant and growing medium debris as a source of insect pests from four greenhouses located in central Illinois. Two 32-gal refuse containers were placed in each greenhouse with a 3 × 5-inch yellow sticky card attached to the underside of each refuse container lid. Each week, yellow sticky cards and plastic refuse bags were collected from the containers and insects captured on the yellow sticky cards were identified. Insects captured on the yellow sticky cards were consistent across the four greenhouses with western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis), fungus gnats (Bradysia spp.), and whiteflies (Bemisia spp.) the primary insects present each week. Insect numbers, in order of prevalence on the yellow sticky cards, varied across the four locations, which may be related to the type of plant debris discarded. For example, extremely high numbers of adult whiteflies (range = 702 to 1930) were captured on yellow sticky cards in one greenhouse each month from August through November. This was due to the presence of yellow sage (Lantana camera), bee balm (Monarda didyma), garden verbena (Verbena × hybrida), common zinnia (Zinnia elegans), sage (Salvia spp.) and fuchsia (Fuschia spp.) debris that was heavily-infested with the egg, nymph, pupa, and adult stages of whiteflies. High western flower thrips adult numbers in the greenhouses were generally associated with plant types such as marguerite daisy (Dendranthema frutescens) and pot marigold (Calendula officinalis) disposed while in bloom with opened yellow flowers, which contained adult western flower thrips. Based on the results of this study, it is important that greenhouse producers timely remove plant and growing medium debris from greenhouses or place debris into refuse containers with tight-sealing lids to prevent insect pests from escaping.

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