Thrips (Thrips tabaci, T. fuscipennis and Frankliniella occidentalis): *Appearance: 6 legs (smallest of the winged insects); long and narrow; tan.
*Life cycle: 6 stages:
Egg - laid inside the leaf surface, flower petals or soft stems – causes small warts on sweet pepper leaves.
2 larval stages – these are very active and feed on all aerial parts of the plant. After these stages they drop to the ground and pupate.
2 pupal stages – these stages do not feed. Wing stumps begin to form. Adult – has two pairs of wings. Young thrips resemble adults in shape but are yellow in colour and wingless. Adult males are pale yellow in colour; females vary from pale yellow to dark brown and are larger than males.
BODY LENGTH: Adult - 1.2 mm; Mature nymph- 1.0 mm. .
Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus: is acquired by the larvae during feeding on infected plants but TSWV is transmitted exclusively by the adults.
*Control/Natural enemies:
Predatory mites (Amblyseius barkeri and A.cucumeris) eat thrips. They are shipped in “sachets” with “grain mites” (plant/fungus feeders and food for the beneficials to eat during shipping). Hang sachets in the crop for a max. of 2 weeks and then removed to avoid grain mite
infestation on the plants. (Grain mites: see Eriophyid mites below) Predatory bugs of the genus Orius with flattened bodies and protruding mouth parts for sucking the juices from the thrips body.
Verticillium lecanii: a fungus that parasitizes and ultimately kills thrips.This fungus does not harm other natural enemies of the thrips.
*Life cycle: 6 stages:
Egg - laid inside the leaf surface, flower petals or soft stems – causes small warts on sweet pepper leaves.
2 larval stages – these are very active and feed on all aerial parts of the plant. After these stages they drop to the ground and pupate.
2 pupal stages – these stages do not feed. Wing stumps begin to form. Adult – has two pairs of wings. Young thrips resemble adults in shape but are yellow in colour and wingless. Adult males are pale yellow in colour; females vary from pale yellow to dark brown and are larger than males.
BODY LENGTH: Adult - 1.2 mm; Mature nymph- 1.0 mm. .
Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus: is acquired by the larvae during feeding on infected plants but TSWV is transmitted exclusively by the adults.
*Control/Natural enemies:
Predatory mites (Amblyseius barkeri and A.cucumeris) eat thrips. They are shipped in “sachets” with “grain mites” (plant/fungus feeders and food for the beneficials to eat during shipping). Hang sachets in the crop for a max. of 2 weeks and then removed to avoid grain mite
infestation on the plants. (Grain mites: see Eriophyid mites below) Predatory bugs of the genus Orius with flattened bodies and protruding mouth parts for sucking the juices from the thrips body.
Verticillium lecanii: a fungus that parasitizes and ultimately kills thrips.This fungus does not harm other natural enemies of the thrips.
.jpg)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment