How to translate text using browser tools
27 May 2024 Spatial and temporal distribution of Scirtothrips dorsalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) and their natural enemies in Florida strawberry fields
Gagandeep Kaur, Lukasz L. Stelinski, Xavier Martini, Nathan Boyd, Rachel Mallinger, Sriyanka Lahiri
Author Affiliations +
Abstract

Given the recent invasion of Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood in North America, there is limited information regarding their distribution and population dynamics in cultivated small fruit crops.Therefore, we investigated the spatial and temporal distribution of S. dorsalis and their natural enemies in commercially produced strawberry fields in Florida. During 2 consecutive strawberry production seasons, 4 and 6 geographically separated strawberry fields were sampled and were divided into grids with 30–40 sampling points per field. At each sampling point, 4–5 leaf and flower samples were collected, and sticky traps were deployed. We quantified the occurrence of S. dorsalis as well as potential natural enemies, including Orius spp., Geocoris spp., and other predators such as long-legged flies. During both years, most of the S. dorsalis and natural enemies were found on field borders, and counts progressively diminished further into the interiors of plots and away from field edges. Cluster and outlier analysis revealed that S. dorsalis formed statistically significant clusters and that these “hot spots” remained in the same general locations throughout the season. There was a strong relationship between the occurrence of natural enemies and the presence of S. dorsalis, but the number of natural enemies was generally low compared to S. dorsalis. Our results indicate that targeting field borders for chemical control or planting strawberries away from natural areas containing potential alternative hosts for thrips may be an effective strategy for reducing agricultural inputs; however, future field assessments are needed to determine if these methods could replace the treatment of entire fields.

Gagandeep Kaur, Lukasz L. Stelinski, Xavier Martini, Nathan Boyd, Rachel Mallinger, and Sriyanka Lahiri "Spatial and temporal distribution of Scirtothrips dorsalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) and their natural enemies in Florida strawberry fields," Journal of Economic Entomology 117(4), 1418-1429, (27 May 2024). https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/toae111
Received: 30 January 2024; Accepted: 3 May 2024; Published: 27 May 2024
JOURNAL ARTICLE
12 PAGES

This article is only available to subscribers.
It is not available for individual sale.
+ SAVE TO MY LIBRARY

KEYWORDS
border effect
chilli thrips
geospatial analysis
spatial distribution
RIGHTS & PERMISSIONS
Get copyright permission
Back to Top