Evaluation of Pheromone Lure as Mass-Trapping Tools for Western Flower Thrips

Abstract

Frankliniella occidentalis  (Pergande) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) adult male has sternal glands whose role is to produce pheromones. It is known that there are two major components in the headspace volatiles of thrips adult male that are not present in the headspace volatiles of adult female. Those components, (R)-lavandulyl acetate and neryl (S)-2-methylbutanoate were synthesized for the first time in Romania by "Raluca Ripan" Institute for Research in Chemistry (Cluj-Napoca). We have tested a blend of those in the greenhouse cucumber ( Cucumis sativum ) crops of University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine. Period study lasted in 4 weeks. Blue sticky traps were coated with insect glue on both surfaces and a rubber septum which contained the blend was attached in the center of a side of a trap. Two traps with pheromone lure and one trap without pheromone lure were hung up to a 20 cm distance from the tip of the plant. Both female and males were trapped. We observed a higher percentage of males on pheromone trap. Our data revealed that the total number of western flower thrips caught on pheromone traps ranged between 1537 and 1941 as compared with the total number of thrips caught on control trap (1333). According to our results we conclude that pheromone traps could be effective tools for F. occidentalis mass trapping and for the use in integrated pest management strategies.

The kairomone p-anisaldehyde increases the effectiveness of sticky traps for capturing Neohydatothrips signifer (Insecta: Thysanoptera) in yellow passion fruit (Passiflora edulis) crops

“…This phenomenon might indicate that insecticide application was not effective to control N. signifier, which was also pointed out by previous studies (Kirk et al, 2021;Mouden et al, 2017). Regarding the efficiency of the sticky traps, our results are in line with several previous studies comparing sticky traps with and without semiochemicals (i.e., pheromones, kairomones) which reported increases in thrip captures in the range of 20-300 % (Broughton and Harrison, 2012;Covaci et al, 2012;Sampson and Kirk, 2013).…”