Location: Subtropical Insects and Horticulture Research
Project Number: 6034-22320-006-003-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Sep 1, 2024
End Date: Aug 31, 2028
Objective:
1. Evaluate cultural practices on Thrips parvispinus.
2. Assess effectiveness of biological control agents on Thrips parvispinus.
3. Evaluate efficacy of insecticides on Thrips parvispinus.
Approach:
The principal investigator will collaborate with the ARS PI and other researchers at University of Georgia to collect and establish a population of T. parvispinus for all the trials. The PI will work with UGA researchers to conduct a series of experiments to fulfill the objectives mentioned before. Specifically, for objective 1, the PI will conduct different trials to evaluate cultural practices including the effect of pruning (light, heavy), sticky card (yellow, blue and white), fertilizer (N:P=1:1, 1:2, and 2:1), mulching (rice hull and pine bark with insecticides chlorfenapyr and pyridalyl), and trap crop (pepper) effects on T. parvispinus control for Gardenia and Mandevilla plants. For objective 2, a series of biocontrol trials will be conducted including investigating the efficacy of several entomopathogenic nematodes such as Heterorhabditis bacteriophora Poinar, Heterorhabditis indica Poinar, Karunakar, and David, Steinernema feltiae (Filipjev), Steinernema riobrave Cabanillas, Poinar and Raulston, and Steinernema carpocapsae (Weiser) for T. parvispinus control both under lab and greenhouse conditions. For objective 3, the PI will test different insecticides including sulfoxaflor+spinetoram, chlorfenapyr, pyridalyl, acetamiprid, cyclaniliprole, isocycloseram, novaluron and azadirachtin efficacy against thrips on Dipladenia, Gardenia, and ornamental pepper. Untreated plants will be used as a control. Insecticide solutions will be foliar applied on host plants until the point of run-off using a CO2-powered single-boom sprayer at 206.8 kPa.
