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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Gainesville, Florida » Center for Medical, Agricultural and Veterinary Entomology » Insect Behavior and Biocontrol Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #129944
Title: INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT TACTICS FOR FRANKLINIELLA THRIPS (THYSANOPTERA:THRIPIDAE) IN FIELD-GROWN PEPPER

Author
item Reitz, Stuart
item YEARBY, ERIKA - USDA, ARS, GRADUATE STUD.
item FUNDERBURK, JOSEPH - UNIV OF FL, QUINCY, FL
item STAVISKY, JULIANNE - UNIV OF FL, QUINCY, FL
item MOMOL, TIMUR - UNIV OF FL, QUINCY, FL
item OLSON, STEVE - UNIV OF FL, QUINCY, FL

Submitted to: Journal of Economic Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/11/2003
Publication Date: 8/1/2003
Citation: REITZ, S.R., YEARBY, E.L., FUNDERBURK, J.E., STAVISKY, J., MOMOL, T., OLSON, S.M. INTEGRATED MANAGEMENT TACTICS FOR FRANKLINIELLA THRIPS (THYSANOPTERA:THRIPIDAE) IN FIELD-GROWN PEPPER. JOURNAL OF ECONOMIC ENTOMOLOGY. 2003. V. 96. P. 1201-1214.

Interpretive Summary: Thrips are the most significant insect pests of vegetable crops in the southeastern USA. Feeding by thrips reduces the quality and yield of crops, and some species, such as the western flower thrips, transmit a devastating plant disease, tomato spotted wilt virus. Because vegetable crops in the southeast are grown primarily in beds covered with plastic mulches, USDA-ARS scientists at the Center for Biological Control in Tallahassee, FL are collaborating with scientists from the University of Florida to examine how different types of plastic mulch can be incorporated into integrated pest management programs for thrips and tomato spotted wilt virus in field-grown peppers. These studies show that the use of metalized mulches that reflect ultraviolet (UV) radiation can lead to significant reductions in the numbers of thrips and tomato spotted wilt infections in peppers compared with the use of standard black plastic mulches. Consequently, the use of UV reflective mulches can lead to increased yields. This research also shows that the western flower thrips, which is the most serious thrips pest, also can be managed successfully in peppers grown on black plastic mulches by using one to three early season applications of biorational insecticides, such as spinosad. This type of approach reduces peaks in early season populations of western flower thrips without disrupting naturally occurring biological control agents. These naturally occurring biological control agents then are able to keep thrips populations low through the remainder of the growing season. Additional studies are being conducted to refine these management strategies, further improve IPM programs, and reduce the use of insecticides in vegetable crops.

Technical Abstract: We examined the impact of different plastic mulches and insect management programs on populations of Frankliniella thrips and their natural enemies in field grown peppers. Ultra-violet (UV) reflective mulch significantly reduced numbers of F. tritici compared with standard black plastic mulch in both 2000 and 2001. There were lesss F. occidentalis in plots with UV reflective mulch only in 2000, and no difference between mulches for F. bispinosa. Numbers of immature thrips were actually higher in the UV reflective mulch plots than the black plastic during 2001. Part of this difference may be from the highly repellent nature of the UV reflective mulch on natural enemies such as Orius insidiosus. In both years tomato spotted wilt virus, a pathogen vectored by F. occidentalis, occurred at relatively low levels. In the year with a greater incidence of the virus (2000), there was a significantly lower incidence in the UV reflective mulch compared with the black plastic mulch. Yield was also greater in the UV reflective mulch during this year. Responses to insecticides also were variable. Spinosad, a reduced-risk insecticide, was effective in reducing F. occidentalis, but not F. tritici or F. bispinosa. In contrast, esfenvalerate and acephate reduced numbers of F. tritici and F. bispinosa, but resulted in higher populations of F. occidentalis. Indoxacarb did not have a significant effect on thrips abundance. Augmentative releases of O. insidiosus and Geocoris punctipes were not effective in reducing early season populations, but naturally occurring predators probably provided late season control of thrips across all treatments. Our results indicate that UV reflective mulch combined with early applications of spinosad would be an effective management strategy for thrips in field grown pepper.