I ’ve compose about the tropical pestThrips parvispinus , now being called “ Madagascar pepper thrips”,infesting sure tropic ornamentals in Canada before . But it appearsthis pest has become far-flung in Florida .
As Ontario sources much of its plant life stuff from Florida , it ’s a good estimation to exercise caveat , even on non - tropical plants . Theknown server compass of this pest is evolve , and thrips have the potential difference to hitch - hike on less - prefer plant life host and spread to more preferred hosts in your glasshouse .
show on for selective information on the situation in Florida andwhat you’re able to do to help protect your greenhousefrom this plague .
Figure 1. Thrips parvispinus female. Notice the tan head and thorax and darker abdomen. Males are pale yellow in colour. Photo by A. Summerfield, Vineland.
What’s Happening in Florida:
alas for our Friend in the southward , T. parvispinusis no longer just a pest of nursery ornamentals but has permanently move outdoors onto landscape plants . This create it much more unmanageable to control , as it can incessantly re - infest crops . ( There is no worry of that in Ontario , asthis tropic pest can not overwinter outside here ) .
Along with ornamental , it ’s also been devastating pepper crops in Florida , another of its favourite hosts . Because of its gamey universe and significant terror to multiple horticultural crops , T. parvipinusis now aregulated plague in part of Southern Florida .
As of March 31 , 19 growers in Florida are under quarantine .
Figure 1. Thrips parvispinus female. Notice the tan head and thorax and darker abdomen. Males are pale yellow in colour. Photo by A. Summerfield, Vineland.
you’re able to read more about the situation in thisUniversity of Florida Pest Alertand inthis payoff of Tech on Demandby Grower Talks .
Where do I find More Information AboutT. Parvipinus?
give its broad server range , and that it has been determine in several greenhouses growing tropic plants in Ontario over the last year , all raiser ( include those growing glasshouse peppers ) , should familiarise themselves withthe following information :
Muchof this entropy can be found on thenew internet site dedicated toThrip parvispinus , run by researchers and extension agents at the Mid - Florida Research and Education Centre .
Thrips parvispinusis also included in the“Simple Thrips Key for Growers”,created by OMAFRA and the Vineland Research Innovation Centre . This easy - to - use picture key givesCanadian and Northern U.S. cultivator a pecker to be able to distinguishT. parvispinusfrom other dark - colored thrips(FYI , a microscope is need ) . I ’ve also done aprevious poston what to look for andother thripsT. parvispinuscan be fuddle with .
Figure 2.Blossom damage on mandevilla from Thrips parvispinus. Photo by OMAFRA.
to boot , The Horticultural Research Institute ( HRI ) , in collaboration with AmericanHort , the Canadian Nursery & Landscape Association and the American Floral Endowment , isoffering a free webinar on May 10 featuring three expert discussingThrips parvispinus .
Topics get over on May 10thwill include :
You should register for this webinar immediatelyto detain on top of the latest developments .
Figure 3. Dipping cuttings in reduced-risk products significantly decreases incoming thrips populations on cuttings. This technique is widely adopted in the Canadian floriculture industry and has helped reduced the need for pesticides for thrips in many crops. Photo courtesy of A. Summerfield.
consider you ’ve foundT. parvispinusin your crop in Canada ? Adult thrips should be send off to myself(Dr . Sarah Jandricic , OMAFRA , Vineland station ) for confirming recognition . observe thatthis thrip is NOT a quarantinable pesterer in Canada , so getting expert help and a positive ID can only help you in this case .
you could accomplish me atsarah.jandricic@ontario.caor 905 - 687 - 1277 .
Cutting Dips to Defend Against Thrips
plain , many of you reading this position are worried , aswe get everything from tropicals and foliage plants , to chrysanthemum and gerbera cutting from Florida . It really is the epienter of North America ’s ornamental manufacture .
The good news ( for us ) , is thatcutting dips are register against thrips plague in Canada . This technique use reduced - risk of exposure pesticide such as oils , goop and microbic insect powder to effectively stifle thripid when they are in short submerged in tubs of these intersection .
We know thiseffectivelyreduces western flower thrip arriving on potted mum cuttingswhen used properly andgives natural opposition time to build up on crops and work more efficaciously . This work on plunge came out of theBiological Crop Protection Labat the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre , head by Dr. Rose Buitenhuis .
Figure 4. Results from dipping mandevilla cuttings infested with T. parvispinus in reduced-risk products. Figure courtsey of R. Buitenhuis, Vineland.
More recently , Rose and her Senior Lab Technician , Ashley Summerfield , have provided information on the efficacy of cutting dip onThrips parvispinus . like to issue with other thrips mintage , their work showedthat dip in BotaniGard WP or mineral oil reducedThrips parvispinuson plant life cuttings by around 70 % .
If you are interested in thefull report from Vineland on dips forT. parvipsinus , including material and method , you could Dr. Rose Buitenhuis at rose.buitenhuis@vinelandresearch.com .
How to I Best Use Dips forThrips parvispinus?
We recommend thatALL raiser begin implementing free fall for both potted and garden mum cuttingscoming in now , especially those coming from South Florida . ( Note that oils are NOT recommended for garden mums due to phytotoxicity ) . One understanding for this increased degree of tutelage is thatchrysanthemums are technically on the host leaning forThrips parvispinus . Although myself and other specialiser across North Americanhave not yet seenT. parvipinuscause damage on chrysanthemums , thripid coming in on this host have the voltage to jump to other host plants in your glasshouse .
Studies from Vineland have also show thatsoaps , BotaniGard WP and some vegetable oil can be used to combat thripid on more sensitivespring bedding crops .
Although most bounce crop are already in the greenhouse , this is good to keep in mind for next year , as other known host plants forThrips parvipinusinclude gerbera , impatiens , dahlia , gardenia , heliconia , roses and others . ( As with florist’s chrysanthemum , North American specialist have yet to see harm on these crop , but they continue a concern ) .
Figure 5. New damage on growing tips of mandevilla from T. parvispinus. The leaf distortion can initially resemble broad mite damage. Photo by OMAFRA.
Label enrolment have already been expanded to let in skip dips of spring bedding harvest and other ornamental ( let in tropicals ) for sealed reduce - risk products in Canada , including :
To combatT. parvispinuson tropicals ( the highest danger crop group ) , growers importingunrooted tropical plant cutting shouldinitially dip unrooted cutting in Botanigard WPto control condition for whitefly ( and by the way , thrips ) before sticking . Unrooted cuttings of tropical crops like mandevilla can be sensitive at this stage to oils .
dip should be done regardless ifT. parvipinuscan be visibly seen on the cuttings or not , due to the highly negative nature of this pestand the small size of the thrips and its larvae . This is true for plant cloth coming fromFlorida , as well as Guatemala and other fond locals , as this thripid now has a fairly blanket host compass !
Figure 6. Older damage from T. parvipsinus doesn’t look like typical “silvering” from thrips feeding. These dark brown feeding scars are on schefflera. Photo by OMAFRA.
BotaniGard spraying should be continued hebdomadally on tropicalswhile in propagation , when humidness is high . OMAFRA and Vineland Research are hop to investigate the utility of a seconddipping of root cuttings of tropicals in 0.1 % Landscape oil or Suffoilbefore potting , to further reduce thrip in production .
Much like abiologically - based IPM program in poinsettia forBemisiawhitefly(which can also come in on cuttings heavily treated with pesticides , and potentially be insecticide - immune ) , the idea here is touse reduced - risk of infection products in extension , followed up with biologic dominance several calendar week by and by , to reduce your need to spray as long as possible .
By doing this , when you do involve to spray for thrips subsequently in the craw ( e.g. when flowers develop ) , the pesticide we have registered here in Canada have a higher chance of working .
Figure 7. Damage on Hibiscus leaves from T. parvispinus. Damage on this crop more closely resembles “typical” thrips feeding damage. Photo by OMAFRA.
Although we are still working out which natural enemy work out well , report suggestOrius , green lacewings andA. swirskiiall have the potential to help oneself supressT. parvispinuspopulations .
What about Rooted Material Brought in For Finishing?
Although we have potential answer for glasshouse decorative agriculturalist importing tropical press clipping and develop them through the whole craw cps , the situation is more complicated for Ontario growers fetch up finish materialfrom Florida . This is because Florida farmers are already spraying a large number of chemical pesticide ( and often ) to combat this cuss . This meansT. parvipinuscoming in on plants could already be immune to many active component , and keeping them clean until sale could be a challenge .
Currently , we know themost susceptible server plants toT. parvispinusinclude the following :
Any of these works species coming from Florida ( or neighboring states ) should be inspect good forT. parvispinusand its damage – price is often the first sign of this pest , as the thripid itself is super diminutive !
If evidence ofT. parvispinusis get , you shouldimmediately call OMAFRA or your pest direction consultant for a positive ID .
It ’s also a adept melodic theme to try toget the atomiser records from your provider , if possible , so you’re able to work with an IPM specialists to acquire a direction programme .
Dr. Sarah Jandricic has been the Greenhouse Floriculture IPM Specialist for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture , Food and Rural Affairs ( OMAFRA ) since 2014 . She has antecedently done floriculture IPM research in the US ( at Cornell University and North Carolina State ) and spend two years as Director of Research at a private IPM consulting company .
