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.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Abe, H., Ohnishi, J., Narusaka, M., Seo, S., Narusaka, Y., Tsuda, S., et al. (2008). Function of jasmonate in response and tolerance of Arabidopsis to thrips feeding. Plant Cell Physiology, 49, 68–80.
Abe, H., Yasuhiro, T., Shimoda, T., Seo, S., Sakurai, T., Kugimiya, S., et al. (2012). Antagonistic plant defense system regulated by phytohormones assists interactions among vector insect, thrips and a tospovirus. Plant Cell Physiology, 53, 204–212.
Alcantra, E., Moraes, J. C., & Antonio, A. (2010). Efeito de indutores da resistência e cultivares de algodão no comportamento de Aphis gossypii. Revista Ciência Agronômica, 41, 619–624.
Bán, G., Fetykó, K., & Tóth, F. (2010). Predatory arthropod assemblages of alfalfa and stinging nettle as potential biological control agents of greenhouse pests. Acta Phytopathologica et Entomologica Hungarica, 45, 159–172.
Biondi, A., Mommaerts, V., Smagghe, G., Vinuela, E., Zappala, L., & Desneux, N. (2012). The non-target impact of spinosyns on beneficial arthropods. Pest Management Science, 68, 1523–1536.
Bosco, L., Giacometto, E., & Tavella, L. (2008). Colonization and predation of thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) by Orius spp. (Heteroptera: Anthocoridae) in sweet pepper greenhouses in Northwest Italy. Biological Control, 44, 331–340.
Bosco, L., & Tavella, L. (2010). Population dynamics and integrated pest management of Thrips tabaci on leek under field conditions in northwest Italy. Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata, 135, 276–287.
Bournier, A., Lacasa, A., & Pivot, Y. (1978). Biologie d’un thrips prédateur Aeolothrips intermedius [Thys.: Aeolothripidae]. Entomophaga, 23, 403–410.
Bournier, A., Lacasa, A., & Pivot, Y. (1979). Régime alimentaire d’un thrips prédateur Aeolothrips intermedius [Thys.: Aeolothripidae]. Entomophaga, 24, 353–361.
Conti, B. (2009). Notes on the presence of Aeolothrips intermedius in northwestern Tuscany and on its development under laboratory conditions. Bulletin of Insectology, 62, 107–112.
Correa, R. S. B., Moraes, J. C., Auad, A. M., & Carvalho, G. A. (2005). Silicon and acibenzolar-S-methyl as resistance inducers in cucumber, against the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) biotype B. Neotropical Entomology, 34, 429–433.
Costa, R. R., Moraes, J. C., & Antunes, C. S. (2007). Resistência induzida em trigo ao pulgão Schizaphis graminum (Rondani, 1852) (Hemiptera: Aphididae) por silício e acibenzolar-S-methyl. Ciência e Agrotecnologia, Lavras, 31, 393–397.
Cox, P. D., Matthews, L., Jacobson, R. J., Cannon, R., MacLeod, A., & Walters, K. F. A. (2006). Potential for the use of biological agents for the control of Thrips palmi (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) outbreaks. Biocontrol Science and Technology, 16, 871–891.
Desneux, N., Decourtye, A., & Delpuech, J. M. (2007). The sublethal effects of pesticides on beneficial arthropods. Annual Review of Entomology, 52, 81–106.
Diaz-Montano, J., Fuchs, M., Nault, B. A., & Shelton, A. M. (2010). Evaluation of onion cultivars for resistance to onion thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) and Iris yellow spot virus. Journal of Economic Entomology, 103, 925–937.
Fathi, S. A. A., Asghari, A., & Sedghi, M. (2008). Interaction of Aeolothrips intermedius and Orius niger in controlling Thrips tabaci on potato. International Journal of Agriculture and Biology, 10, 521–525.
Foster, S. P., Gorman, K., & Denholm, I. (2010). English field samples of Thrips tabaci show strong and ubiquitous resistance to deltamethrin. Pest Management Science, 66, 861–864.
Franco, S., Beignet, P., Rat, E., & Thibout, E. (1999). The effect of thrips on wild and cultivated alliaceous plants in France. Phytoma, 514, 41–44.
Funderburk, J. E., Stavisky, J., & Olson, S. M. (2000). Predation of Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in field peppers by Orius insidiosus (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae). Environmental Entomology, 29, 376–382.
Gabarra, R., Castañé, C., & Albajes, R. (1995). The mirid bug Dicyphus tamanii as a greenhouse whitefly and western flower thrips predator on cucumber. Biocontrol Science and Technology, 5, 475–488.
Gent, D. H., du Toit, L. J., Fichtner, S. F., Mohan, S. K., Pappu, H. R., & Schwartz, H. F. (2006). Iris yellow spot virus: an emerging threat to onion bulb and seed production. Plant Disease, 90, 1468–1480.
Gorlach, J., Volrath, S., Knauf-Beiter, G., Hengy, G., Beckhove, U., Kogel, K. H., et al. (1996). Benzothiadiazole, a novel class of inducers of systemic acquired resistance, activates gene expression and disease resistance in wheat. The Plant Cell, 8, 629–643.
Harper, A. M. (1978). Effect of insecticides on the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Hemiptera: Aphididae), and associated fauna on alfalfa. The Canadian Entomologist, 110, 891–894.
Herron, G. A., James, T. M., Rophail, J., & Mo, J. (2008). Australian populations of onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), are resistant to some insecticides used for their control. Australian Journal of Entomology, 47, 361–364.
Jones, T., Scott-Dupree, C., Harris, R., Shipp, L., & Harris, B. (2005). The efficacy of spinosad against the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, and its impact on associated biological control agents on greenhouse cucumbers in southern Ontario. Pest Management Science, 61, 179–185.
Kakimoto, K., Inoue, H., Hinomoto, N., Noda, T., Hirano, K., Kashio, T., et al. (2006). Potential of Haplothrips brevitubus (Karny) (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae) as a predator of mulberry thrips Pseudodendrothrips mori (Niwa) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). Biological Control, 37, 314–319.
Koschier, E. H., Sedy, K. A., & Novak, J. (2002). Influence of plant volatiles on feeding damage caused by the onion thrips Thrips tabaci. Crop Protection, 21, 419–425.
Larentzaki, E., Plate, J., Nault, B. A., & Shelton, M. (2008). Impact of straw mulch on populations of onion thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in onion. Journal of Economic Entomology, 101, 1317–1324.
Li, D. X., Tian, J., & Shen, Z. R. (2006). Effects of pesticides on the functional response of predatory thrips, Scolothrips takahashii to Tetranychus viennensis. Journal of Applied Entomology, 130, 314–322.
Ludwig, S., & Oetting, R. (2001). Effect of spinosad on Orius insidiosus (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae) when used for Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) control on greenhouse pot chrysanthemums. The Florida Entomologist, 84, 311–313.
MacIntyre Allen, J. K., Scott-Dupree, C. D., Tolman, J. H., & Harris, C. R. (2005). Resistance of Thrips tabaci to pyrethroid and organophosphorus insecticides in Ontario, Canada. Pest Management Science, 61, 809–815.
Martin, N. A., Workman, P. J., & Butler, R. C. (2003). Insecticide resistance in onion thrips (Thrips tabaci) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). New Zealand Journal of Crop and Horticultural Science, 31, 99–106.
Mautino, G. C., Bosco, L., & Tavella, L. (2012). Integrated management of Thrips tabaci (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) on onion in north-western Italy: basic approaches for supervised control. Pest Management Science, 68, 185–193.
Momol, M. T., Olson, S. M., Funderburk, J. E., Stavisky, J., & Marois, J. J. (2004). Integrated management of tomato spotted wilt on field-grown tomatoes. Plant Disease, 88, 882–890.
Mori, K., & Gotoh, T. (2001). Effects of pesticides on the spider mite predators, Scolothrips takahashii (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) and Stethorus japonicus (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae). International Journal of Acarology, 27, 299–302.
Mound, L. A., Morison, G. D., Pitkin, B. R., & Palmer, J. M. (1976). Thysanoptera. Handbooks for the identification of British insects. vol. I, part 11. London, UK: Royal Entomological Society of London.
Nagata, T., Almeida, A. C. L., Resende, R. O., & de Ávila, A. C. (1999). The identification of the vector species of Iris yellow spot tospovirus occurring on onion in Brazil. Plant Disease, 83, 399.
Nault, B. A., & Shelton, A. M. (2010). Impact of insecticide efficacy on developing action thresholds for pest management: a case study of onion thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) on onion. Journal of Economic Entomology, 103, 1315–1326.
Pappu, H. R., Csinos, A. S., McPherson, R. M., Jones, D. C., & Stephenson, M. G. (2000). Effect of acibenzolar-S-methyl and imidacloprid on suppression of tomato spotted wilt Tospovirus in flue-cured tobacco. Crop Protection, 19, 349–354.
Pappu, H. R., Jones, R. A. C., & Jain, R. K. (2009). Global status of tospovirus epidemics in diverse cropping systems: successes achieved and challenges ahead. Virus Research, 141, 219–236.
Patil, S. D., Chandele, A. G., Wayal, C. B., & Game, B. C. (2009). Efficacy of different newer chemicals and bio-insecticides against onion thrips in kharif season. International Journal of Plant Protection, 2, 227–230.
Riudavets, J. (1995). Predators of Frankliniella occidentalis and Thrips tabaci (pp. 47–87). In: A. J. M. Loomans, J. C. van Lenteren, M. G. Tommasini, S. Maini, & J. Riudavets (Eds.) Biological control of thrips pests. Wageningen Agricultural University Papers 95-1. Wageningen, the Netherlands: Veenman Drukkers.
Riudavets, J., Gabarra, R., & Castañé, C. (1993). Frankliniella occidentalis predation by native natural enemies. IOBC/WPRS Bulletin, 16(2), 137–140.
Rueda, A., & Shelton, A. M. (2003). Development of a bioassay system for monitoring susceptibility in Thrips tabaci. Pest Management Science, 59, 553–558.
Schenk, P. M., Kazan, K., Wilson, I., Anderson, J. P., Richmond, T., Somerville, S. C., et al. (2000). Coordinated plant defense responses in Arabidopsis revealed by microarray analysis. PNAS, 97, 11655–11660.
Schliephake, G., & Klimt, K. (1979). Thysanoptera, Fransenflügler. Die Tierwelt Deutschlands, 66. Jena, Germany: VEB Gustav Fisher Verlag.
Shelton, A. M., Zhao, J.-Z., Nault, B. A., Plate, J., Musser, F. R., & Larentzaki, E. (2006). Patterns of insecticide resistance in onion thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), in onion fields in New York. Journal of Economic Entomology, 99, 1798–1804.
Tedeschi, R., Ciuffo, M., Mason, G., Roggero, P., & Tavella, L. (2001). Transmissibility of four tospoviruses by a thelytokous population of Thrips tabaci from Liguria, northwestern Italy. Phytoparasitica, 29, 37–45.
Thaler, J. S., Karban, R., Ullman, D. E., Boege, K., & Bostock, R. M. (2002). Cross-talk between jasmonate and salicylate plant defense pathways: effects on several plant parasites. Oecologia, 131, 227–235.
Theunissen, J., & Schelling, G. (1997). Damage threshold for Thrips tabaci (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in monocropped and intercropped leek. European Journal of Entomology, 94, 253–261.
Tomquelski, G. V., Martins, G. L. M., & Papa, G. (2007). Efeito dos indutores de resistência acibenzolar-S- metil e silîcio na biologia de Alabama argillacea (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) em algodoeiro. Revista de Agricultura, 82(2), 170–175.
Torres-Vila, L. M., Lacasa, A., Bielza, P., & Meco, R. (1994). Dinámica poblacional de Thrips tabaci Lind. (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) sobre liliáceas hortícolas en Castilla-La Mancha. Boletín de Sanidad Vegetal. Plagas, 20, 661–677.
Trdan, S., Andjus, L., Raspudic, E., & Kac, M. (2005a). Distribution of Aeolothrips intermedius Bagnall (Thysanoptera: Aeolothripidae) and its potential prey Thysanoptera species on different cultivated host plants. Journal of Pest Science, 78, 217–226.
Trdan, S., Rifelj, M., & Valič, N. (2005b). Population dynamics of banded thrips (Aeolothrips intermedius Bagnall, Thysanoptera, Aeolothripidae) and its potential prey Thysanoptera species on white clover. Communications in Agricultural and Applied Biological Sciences, 70, 753–758.
Trdan, S., Žnidarčič, D., Valič, N., Rozman, L., & Vidrih, M. (2006). Intercropping against onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in onion production: on the suitability of orchard grass, lacy phacelia, and buckwheat as alternatives for white clover. Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection, 113, 24–30.
Vierbergen, G. B., Kucharczyk, H., & Kirk, W. D. J. (2010). A key to the second instar larvae of the Thripidae of the Western Palaearctic region (Thysanoptera). Tijdschrift voor Entomologie, 153, 99–160.
Wimmer, D., Hoffmann, D., & Schausberger, P. (2008). Prey suitability of western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis, and onion thrips, Thrips tabaci, for the predatory mite Amblyseius swirskii. Biocontrol Science and Technology, 18, 533–542.
Workman, P. J., & Martin, N. A. (2002). Towards integrated pest management of Thrips tabaci in onions. New Zealand Plant Protection, 55, 188–192.
Yano, E. (2004). Recent development of biological control and IPM in greenhouses in Japan. Journal of Asia-Pacific Entomology, 7, 5–11.
Yarahmadi, F., Moassadegh, M. S., Soleymannejadian, E., Saber, M., & Shishehbor, P. (2009). Assessment of acute toxicity of abamectin, spinosad and chlorpyrifos to Thrips tabaci Lindeman (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) on sweet pepper by using two bioassay techniques. Asian Journal of Biological Sciences, 2, 81–87.
Zegula, T., Sengonca, C., & Blaeser, P. (2003). Entwicklung, reproduktion und Prädationsleistung von zwei Raubthrips-arten Aeolothrips intermedius Bagnall und Franklinothrips vespiformis Crawford (Thysanoptera: Aeolothripidae) mit ernährung zweier natürlicher beutearten. Gesunde Pflanzen, 55, 169–174 (German, with English summary).
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.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
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
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12600-013-0335-8