Thrips simplex

Abstract: Thrips of Sri Lanka have been poorly studied despite their significance to agriculture and horticulture of the country. A survey of thrips and their host plants was conducted in several parts of Sri Lanka during 2005-2008, with a view to record the species present, their distribution, host plant relationships and damage caused. Over 1,000 plant species comprising crops, ornamental plants, weeds, shrubs , and trees were examined for thrips in 22 study sites, representing a range of habitats in nine districts covering 12 agrochemical regions of the country. Damage in plants due to thrips infestations was documented. This paper presents a list of 72 thrips species in 45 genera recorded during the survey from 324 host plant species in 83 plant families. Megalurothrips usitatus, Thrips palmi , and Haplothrips gowdeyi were the most widely distributed species. The grass infesting Haplothrips spp., several species of Thrips, Microcephalothrips abdominalis , M. usitatus and Scirtothrips dorsalis are some of the species with a large number of host records. Thrips simplex in particular was confined to the Upcountry Wet zone, while Thrips flavus was most widespread in this region and was present on almost all the vegetation. The survey identified 24 species of thrips represented in 20 genera that were not recorded previously from Sri Lanka. Majority of the thrips recorded are pest species, cosmopolitan in distribution. The most common damage due to thrips infestations was discolouration, scarring and browning of leaves and flowers, most pronounced in cut flowers. The survey updates the information on the Thysanoptera of Sri Lanka and highlights their importance in agriculture and floriculture. Key words : agriculture; floriculture; damage; pest species; new records DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/cjsbs.v40i2.3926 CJSBS 2011; 40(2): 89-108

Abstract: The gladiolus thrips (Thrips simplex) is a common pest of gladioli. The insect causes damage to leaves, flower stalks and buds by sucking. The present study was intended to investigate the susceptibility of four Gladiolus cultivars as well as the colour preference of the thrips tested on different coloured flowers of the cultivars. The experiment was carried out in 2006 at two locations in central Slovenia. After planting the corms on April, 27 and May, 2 on three occasions with successive plant stages the percentage of infested foliage surface and flowers was assessed. Of the cultivars tested, the ‘Nova Lux’ was the only cultivar suited for cultivation without insecticide application. The flowers of gladioli with a light colour (white ‘White Prosperity’, yellow ‘Nova Lux’) were less infested in comparison with cultivars with dark coloured flowers (orange ‘Hunting Song’, red ‘Oscar’).

Abstract: In 2003 the Institute for Plant Protection inAgriculture and Forestry of the Republic of Croatia started a national survey of the possible occurrence of quarantine Thysanoptera species for the EU ( Scirtothrips spp., Thrips palmiKarny)ingreenhousesinCroatia.Thesurveywascontinuedyearlyuntil2006.Thisprojectinvolved themostimportantproducersofvegetablesandflowersingreenhousesandimportersofpotplantsandcutflow ers. Eventual presence of especially T. palmi was checked in glasshouses and plastic greenhouses at 45 locali tiesin12continentaland5MediterraneancountiesofCroatia.Atotalof26Thysanopteraspecieswererecorded inthegreenhouses,ofwhich14specieswerecollectedfromplantmaterial,13werefrombluestickyboardsand 17 were from yellow sticky boards. Compared to the latest check list of Thysanoptera in Croatia, the following species were recorded for the first time for the country: Echinothrips americanus, Hercinothrips femoralis, Parthenothrips dracaenae and Thrips simplex . The survey did not establish the presence of EU quarantine Thysanoptera.

Abstract: Abstract Exotic species introduction has recently increased European insect diversity in accordance with global climate change and international biological commodity trade, often with serious environmental and economic consequences for natural ecosystems as well as urban and farmland area. This short communication deals with the first official faunistic record of the gladiolus thrips Thrips simplex (Morison, 1930) (Thysanoptera, Thripidae) in Slovakia.