“Strawberry fields forever”: flower-inhabiting thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) communities and their spatial interactions in strawberry agroecosystems in Québec, Canada, with first mention of pest Frankliniella intonsa (Trybom)

Abstract

Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) communities in agroecosystems are poorly known, particularly in Québec, Canada, where thrips can cause damage in strawberry crops. The phenology of anthophagous thrips and their use of cultivated and wildflower resources were monitored in strawberry agroecosystems, encompassing strawberry (Rosaceae) fields and adjacent uncultivated margins, on Orléans Island, Québec, Canada. A community comprised of 11 thrips species was described, dominated during the whole season by pest species Frankliniella tritici and F. intonsa, which is a first mention in Eastern Canada. Surprisingly, the major strawberry pest F. occidentalis was absent in our samples. Thrips species richness and abundance on wildflowers varied, with few flowering plant species supporting a majority of the community. Sampling sites and local wildflower presence influenced the thrips species assemblage observed on strawberry crops. Such a high thrips diversity was unexpected in this agroecosystem. The identified associations between pest thrips and wildflower species will be useful to develop better control programmes in strawberry crops.

Frankliniella minuta (Moulton) (Thysanoptera: Thripidae): an American species newly recorded in Asia, with a key to Frankliniella species from Malaysia

“…The Holarctic species F. intonsa is mainly abundant in cooler regions between Europe and Taiwan and, usually is known as a minor pest in flower crops (Wang et al, 2019). Recently however, F. intonsa has emerged as a pestiferous threat to strawberry production in Denmark (Nielsen et al, 2021) and Canada (Canovas et al, 2023), raising concerns about potential economic losses for growers.…”