Research Assistant Professor University of Vermont Burlington, Vermont
Western flower thrips (WFT), Frankliniella occidentalis, is one of the most destructive pests of vegetables, fruits and ornamental crops worldwide, causing extensive damage by direct feeding of the crop and transmitting economically important viruses. Despite the successes of biocontrol agents to manage WFT, more efficient and cost-effective ways must be found to encourage grower adoption of integrated pest management. We developed ‘guardian plant systems’ that use mycotized millet grains with the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana applied to the soil of potted marigolds, Tagetes patula. This talk will discuss results of several experiments testing system efficacy under controlled and commercial greenhouse conditions.
