Assistant Professor University of Florida Lithia, Florida
Strawberry, Fragaria x ananassa (Rosaceae) is an important specialty crop in Florida worth ~$399 million. Many insect pests attack strawberry in the field. Among them, an invasive insect, chilli thrips, Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood is becoming a major pest, causing considerable yield and revenue loss in recent years. Being an invasive and highly polyphagous species, S. dorsalis is now expanding its range to other southeastern states. Chemical control is no longer reliable due to resistance development.
To manage S. dorsalis sustainably, host plant resistance (HPR) is a novel option. Host plant resistance is a technology that relies on the intrinsic ability of plants to defend against pest attacks. Four commercial cultivars namely, ‘Florida Brilliance’, Florida MedallionTM FL16.30-128, Sweet Sensation® ‘Florida127’, and Florida PearlTMFL16.78-109 were evaluated during the field season of 2021-2022 at Gulf Coast Research and Education Center. Twenty bare root strawberry transplants were planted in each field plot, and each cultivar was replicated five times in a randomized complete block design. Damage rating on leaves, S. dorsalis adult and larval count on trifoliates, and marketable fruit yield were assessed for each cultivar. Results indicate that, ‘Florida Brilliance and Sweet Sensation®‘Florida127’ had a significantly lower number of S. dorsalis and lower damage rating per trifoliate when compared to Florida MedallionTM FL16.30-128 and Florida PearlTM FL16.78-109. Also, ‘Florida Brilliance’ produced the highest marketable fruit yield (5.42gm/plant) followed by Sensation (3.313gm/plant), Medallion (2.16gm/plant), and Pearl (1.16gm/plant). Therefore, there is potential for HPR in the management of S. dorsalis.
