Photo by Lance Osborne, UF/IFAS
By Maegan Beatty
Last month, the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) hosted a citrus insect workshop that covered almost 10 different pests that pose a threat for Florida citrus. Lance Osborne, professor and researcher at the Mid-Florida Research and Education Center, presented research on chilli thrips.
Chilli thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis) can live in over 150 plants, including citrus. Chilli thrips are a major pest all over the world. They became established in 2005 near West Palm Beach and since then have spread across the nation.
The average life cycle of thrips takes about seven to 14 days. First, 150 to 300 eggs are inserted in the plant tissue. Adults and nymphs occur on the flowers or foliage. The prepupa and pupa can occur in the media below the plant. The adult thrips are characterized by wings fringed with hair-like setae. Their life span ranges from 30 to 45 days.
The main management strategy for chilli thrips is chemical management. Osborne and his team have found that when growers use pesticides such as acetamiprid or clothianidin on heavy infestations, they should implement a four-day rotation.
“When growers are 100% reliant on pesticides, their crops will produce resistance,” Osborne said.
Another management technique is using biological strategies. This includes predatory mites and minute pirate bugs. Osborne and his team use pepper plants and banker plants to establish and support the predators.
“We have recently concluded that both Amblydromalus limonicus and Amblyseius swirskii (predatory mites) were shown to control chilli thrips on roses for the first time using banker plants,” Osborne said.
See Osborne’s presentation in PDF form or video form. Additional information on thrips management can be found here.
Source: UF/IFAS
Maegan Beatty is a University of Florida student and AgNet Media intern.
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