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Impact of control strategies on Thrips tabaci and its predator Aeolothrips intermedius on onion crops

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Abstract

Thrips tabaci (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is a major pest of onion worldwide. In 2011, research was conducted in a commercial onion field in northwestern Italy to: (i) assess the presence of autochthonous onion thrips predators on the crop; and (ii) evaluate the impact of the commonly used insecticides and alternative pest management strategies on onion thrips and its autochthonous predators. Toxicity of the active ingredients on local populations of onion thrips and its predatory thrips was also evaluated in laboratory bioassays. During field surveys, the highest and lowest thrips infestations were observed in plots treated with lambda-cyhalothrin and spinosad, respectively. The effectiveness of spinosad on T. tabaci was also confirmed in laboratory bioassays. The dominant zoophagous species Aeolothrips intermedius (Thysanoptera: Aeolothripidae) was more adversely affected by treatment with lambda-cyhalothrin, confirmed by a decrease in predator/prey ratios. The use of spinosad and acibenzolar-S-methyl is suggested as an alternative to conventional insecticides for the preservation of A. intermedius, which proved to be a potential biological control agent of T. tabaci.

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Acknowledgments

Special thanks are expressed to Ivo Rigamonti (Dipartimento di Scienze per gli Alimenti, la Nutrizione e l'Ambiente, University of Milano) for confirming the thrips species identification. We also thank Michela Basso, Sandro Frati and Michele Baudino of CReSO of Boves (province of Cuneo, Italy) and Alessandro Costanzo of Cadir Lab of Quargnento (province of Alessandria, Italy) for technical assistance in the field trials. Research was supported by a grant from Regione Piemonte.

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Mautino, G.C., Bosco, L. & Tavella, L. Impact of control strategies on Thrips tabaci and its predator Aeolothrips intermedius on onion crops. Phytoparasitica 42, 41–52 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12600-013-0335-8

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