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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Salinas, California » Crop Improvement and Protection Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #417899
Research Project: Biological and Biotechnological Approaches for Management of Insect Vectors and Vector-borne Viruses Affecting Vegetable Crops

Location: Crop Improvement and Protection Research

Title: Investigating the influence of landscape variables on the dispersal of western flower thrips and INSV incidence in lettuce production

Author
item Husein, Deena
item LAR RIEU, KAI - Former ARS Employee
item GABLE, KIARA - Former ARS Employee
item Peralta-Diaz, Ulisses
item Segoviano-Quiroz, Suzette
item Azad-Khan, Jasmin
item Hasegawa, Daniel

Submitted to: American Phytopathological Society Annual Meeting
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/5/2024
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Impatiens necrotic spot virus (INSV) is a tospovirus transmitted by the western flower thrips (WFT), Frankliniella occidentalis. Recent outbreaks of INSV resulted in over $150 million in losses in 2022 and continue to pose significant challenges for lettuce production in the Salinas Valley of CA. Numerous specialty crops are grown and rotated with lettuce in the region, which has further confounded our understanding of the drivers behind vector and virus outbreaks. In our efforts to determine if any landscape factors may be associated with outbreaks, we conducted a study across 37 commercial lettuce fields during the 2023 season. For each field, adjacent crops and habitats were recorded, sticky cards were deployed to track the direction of thrips infestations, and thrips and INSV incidence were quantified from lettuce plants at the end of each field trial. A total of 55 different crop and non-crop variables were recorded, while a total of 19,312 thrips were recovered from the sticky cards, ranging from 0 to 2327 thrips per trap. Interestingly, INSV incidence remained low (less than 5.5%) in all 37 fields, a stark contrast to previous seasons. Using a negative binomial regression model, we explored if there were any relationships between landscape factors and vector and virus incidence. Our initial findings suggest limited influence of neighboring crops on the dispersal of thrips and INSV incidence in commercial lettuce fields. Further investigation is underway with aims to uncover drivers of thrips and INSV outbreaks within the farming landscape of the Salinas Valley.