An action threshold (AT) is one of the most important decision-making elements in integrated pest management. Unlike economic thresholds, ATs are not typically derived from an economic injury level model, but they are more commonly used. ATs may be identified from research-based, pest-crop relationships, but they also may be based on experience. ATs may be adjusted depending on, e.g., weather a...

Development of insecticide resistance in onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), populations in onion (Allium spp.) Þelds and the incidence of the T. tabaci transmitted Iris yellow spot virus have stimulated interest in evaluating alternative management tactics. Effects of strawmulch applied in commercial onion Þelds in muck areas of western New York were assessed in 200...

The thrips fauna of Norfolk Island is a curious mix of endemics and adventives, with notable absences that include one major trophic group. A brief introduction is provided to the history of human settlement and its ecological impact on this tiny land mass in the western Pacific Ocean. The Thysanoptera fauna comprises about 20% endemic and almost 50% widespread invasive species, and shows limit...

Endophytic fungi, which live within host plant tissues without causing any visible symptom of infection, are important mutualists that mediate plant-herbivore interactions. Thrips tabaci (Lindeman) is one of the key pests of onion, Allium cepa L., an economically important agricultural crop cultivated worldwide. However, information on endophyte colonization of onions, and their impacts on the ...

In 2004, sugarcane thrips Fulmekiola serrata (Kobus) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) was for the first time detected in southern African sugarcane. Since then it has become widespread in South Africa, and any control strategy would benefit from identifying and monitoring damage caused by this pest. Imaging spectroscopy is being investigated for this purpose, and is used in conjunction with space-born...

Male sexual aggregations are a common territorial, mating-related or resource-based, behaviour observed in diverse organisms, including insects such as thrips. The influence of factors such as plant substrate, time of day, and geographic location on aggregation of thrips is uncertain, therefore we monitored the dispersion of male and female bean flower thrips (BFT), Megalurothrips sjostedti (Tr...

Adult western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), were most abundant on flower clusters of apple, Malus × domestica Borkhausen, from king bloom to full bloom. Low numbers of thrips remained on the clusters after petal fall as fruit enlarged. Thrips larvae peaked in numbers after densities of adults had peaked, usually by petal fall. Two staining proce...

Ultralow oxygen (ULO) treatments with different oxygen levels, treatment times, and temperatures were studied to determine effects on western ower thrips mortality and postharvest quality of iceberg lettuce. Thrips mortality increased with reduced oxygen level and increased treatment ime and temperature. At 0.003% oxygen, over 99.6% mortality rates of thrips were achieved in three ULO treatment...

The kaolin-based particle film Surround has been shown to suppress various insect pests and foliar diseases while reducing canopy temperature and improving water use efficiency in certain agricultural production systems. The usefulness of Surround was examined against important production constraints in peanut, including tomato spotted wilt, leaf spots, and aflatoxin contamination. Field experi...