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Can semiochemicals attract both western flower thrips and their anthocorid predators?
Author(s) -
Davidson M.M.,
Nielsen M.C.,
Butler R.C.,
Castañé C.,
Alomar O.,
Riudavets J.,
Teulon D.A.J.
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
entomologia experimentalis et applicata
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.765
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1570-7458
pISSN - 0013-8703
DOI - 10.1111/eea.12284
Subject(s) - thrips , western flower thrips , biology , orchard , pest analysis , horticulture , crop , pepper , predation , integrated pest management , biological pest control , botany , thripidae , agronomy , ecology
F rankliniella occidentalis ( P ergande) ( T hysanoptera: T hripidae) (western flower thrips, WFT ) is a key pest in a range of crops worldwide. Anthocorid species ( H emiptera) are important natural enemies of thrips. Several experiments were undertaken to determine whether a thrips lure, methyl isonicotinate ( MI ), affected the behaviour of WFT and anthocorids found in outdoor crops. Currently, this volatile compound is used in conjunction with sticky traps for monitoring thrips predominantly in greenhouses in Northern Europe. In the present study, in a nectarine [ P runus persica ( L .) ( R osaceae)] orchard and an outdoor capsicum [ C apsicum annuum L . ( S olanaceae)] crop in Spain, blue sticky and white water traps with MI caught significantly more WFT than traps without MI . The volatile compound also significantly increased both blue sticky and white water trap capture of anthocorids – predominantly O rius laevigatus ( F ieber) ( H emiptera: A nthocoridae) – in the capsicum crop. These results indicate that the behaviour of both WFT and O . laevigatus were altered by the presence of the compound and suggest there is potential to develop novel tools based on MI in conjunction with biological control strategies for thrips management.