TAILIEUCHUNG - Failure of biological control of Frankliniella occidentalis on protected eggplants using Amblyseius swirskii in the Mediterranean region of Turkey

The western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), is one of the most important insect pests in the Mediterranean region of Turkey. Thrips infestation is the main cause of vegetable crops losses in low polythene tunnels and plastic greenhouses. | Turkish Journal of Agriculture and Forestry Research Article Turk J Agric For (2016) 40: 13-17 © TÜBİTAK doi: Failure of biological control of Frankliniella occidentalis on protected eggplants using Amblyseius swirskii in the Mediterranean region of Turkey 1, 1 2 2 3 Halil KÜTÜK *, Mehmet KARACAOĞLU , Mustafa TÜFEKLİ , Raul T. VILLANUEVA Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture and Natural Sciences, Abant İzzet Baysal University, Bolu, Turkey 2 Biological Control Research Station, Adana, Turkey 3 Department of Entomology, Texas A&M University and Texas AgriLife Extension, Weslaco, TX, USA Received: Accepted/Published Online: Final Version: Abstract: The western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), is one of the most important insect pests in the Mediterranean region of Turkey. Thrips infestation is the main cause of vegetable crops losses in low polythene tunnels and plastic greenhouses. Chemical control has been the primary means to control F. occidentalis in protected cultivation systems in Turkey. A search of alternatives to conventional insecticides for the control of F. occidentalis has drawn increased interest in the use of biocontrol agents. This study evaluated the control efficiency of F. occidentalis on eggplants through releases of the predatory mite Amblyseius swirskii (AthiasHenriot) at a rate of 50 adults per m2 in plastic greenhouses or low polythene tunnels. Samplings of F. occidentalis from flowering to harvesting of the eggplants revealed that neither preventative nor curative releases of the predatory mite reduced the thrips population densities below a mean of 3 thrips per flower (. control threshold). We discuss various factors that may have affected the efficiency of the predatory mite on eggplants or the failure of the biological control. Key words: Frankliniella occidentalis, Amblyseius swirskii, .

• Nông nghiệp
• Frankliniella occidentalis
• Amblyseius swirskii
• Biological control
• Low polythene tunnels
• Plastic greenhouse
• Orius majusculus
• Photoperiodic sensitivity
• Diapausing adults
• Fogging system
• Air flow rate
• Evaporation flow rate
• Fog generating nozzles