Integrated pest management of chilli thrips in strawberry

Tuesday, November 15, 2022

2:18 PM – 2:30 PM PT

Location: Vancouver Convention Centre, Meeting Room 110

Presenting Author(s)

Sriyanka Lahiri

Assistant Professor
University of Florida
Lithia, Florida

Co-Author(s)

Gagandeep Kaur

PhD Student
University of Florida
Wimauma, Florida
Midhula Gireesh (she/her/hers)

Postdoctoral Research Associate
University of Florida
Wimauma, Florida
Allan Busuulwa

Graduate Student
University of Florida
Wimauma, Florida
LA

Lovely Adhikary

University of Florida
Wimauma, Florida

The invasive chilli thrips, Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood, has been an economically important pest of strawberry in Florida since 2015. Resistance to insecticides has already been documented in S. dorsalis infesting strawberry, leading to an urgent need for developing non-chemical control options to manage this pest. In fact, field populations of S. dorsalis collected during November (early-season) were found to be 30% more susceptible to the same insecticides when compared to late-season population collected in February from same strawberry fields.

Augmentative biological control using predatory mites, Amblyseius swirskii and Neoseiulus cucumeris was found to be effective in greenhouse and field studies in organic strawberry, respectively. In our field studies during the strawberry field season of 2021-2022, strawberry fruit yield on reflective mulch (metallic and white reflective mulch) was found to be 3-times the black mulch, S. dorsalis population was 1/3^rd that of black mulch, and thrips related plant damage was negligible on reflective mulch. Therefore, our research indicates that biological and cultural control using reflective mulch are reliable integrated pest management techniques to manage S. dorsalis in strawberry in Florida.