Spatiotemporal population dynamics of the banana rind thrips, Elixothrips brevisetis (Bagnall) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

Abstract

The understanding of how environmental factors and agricultural practices affect population dynamics of insect pests is necessary for pest management. Here, we provide insight into the ecology of the banana rind thrips Elixothrips brevisetis (Bagnall) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) by collecting and analysing a spatiotemporal database of population estimates in Martinique (West French Indies). We assessed the influence of climatic variables (which were rainfall and temperature) and biotic variables (which were banana and three weed species) on the adult thrips abundance for different components of the banana plant (sucker, mother plant and bunch) and evaluated the effect of thrips abundance and standard bunch covers on damages. The abundance of thrips on the sucker, the mother plant, and the bunch was significantly related to the abundance on neighbouring banana plants, and spatial autocorrelation indicated that E. brevisetis dispersed for only short distances. The number of thrips on the mother plant and on the bunch was positively related to the number of thrips on the sucker, suggesting that the thrips may disperse from the sucker to the mother plant and then to the bunch. The abundance of thrips on the sucker increased with sucker height and was positively correlated with the mean daily rainfall during the 17 days before sampling; the length of that period might correspond with the time required for an individual to complete its life cycle. Covered bunches had 98% fewer thrips than non-covered bunches, and the damage caused by thrips was linearly related to the number of thrips present between the 2nd and 4th week after flowering. Finally, we found that the presence of Alocasia cucullata, Dieffenbachia seguine and Peperomia pellucida is significantly related with a decrease in thrips abundance on banana plants, suggesting the use of these weeds as potential trap plants.

Caught on camera: Field imagery reveals the unexpected importance of vertebrates for biological control of the banana weevil (Cosmopolites sordidus Col. Curculionidae)

“…For instance, the nocturnal activity and foraging habits of S . murinus [ 52 ] fit the nocturnal activity of the weevil [ 40 ] and are therefore well suited for predation of weevils under natural conditions. On the other hand, our assessment of the role of C .…”

“…Distances between the plots ranged from 0.5 km to 11.4 km. As weevils disperse slowly and are usually aggregated in the field [ 40 ], all the plots were considered as statistically independent. During the experiment, temperatures ranged between 18°C and 31°C, and precipitation was relatively low (< 150 mm of rain over 3 months).…”

“…The resulting internal damage weakens the plant and can lead to yield losses and crop failure in newly planted stands [ 39 ]. The banana weevil has a nocturnal and cryptic behaviour, moving at night and on the ground [ 40 ]. The hidden larval development of C .…”

Simulated Soil Moisture and Planting Material Health on the Behaviour of Cosmopolites sordidus, Germar (Coleoptera: Curculionidae)

“…The plantain weevil is well known to be positively hydrotactic (Ittyeipe 1986;Carval et al 2015).) but there have been reports that suggest that some experiments conducted during the dry season had higher oviposition rates (Masanza 2003).…”

Effects of microclimatic variables on the symptoms and signs onset of Moniliophthora roreri, causal agent of Moniliophthora pod rot in cacao

“…Such an approach has recently been used in bananas, to study the influence of the temperature on the development of chilling injury during fruit growth [ 44 ]. It has been also used by Carval, Cotté [ 62 ] to study the effect of rainfall, temperature and biotic variables on the abundance of adult thrips on banana plants. This statistical approach is applied for the first time for fungal epidemiological studies.…”