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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Corvallis, Oregon » Horticultural Crops Disease and Pest Management Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #389813
Research Project: Sustainable Management of Arthropod Pests in Horticultural Crops

Location: Horticultural Crops Disease and Pest Management Research Unit

Title: A sustainable mass rearing method for western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae)

Author
item Price, Briana
item RAFFIN, CATHERINE - Oregon State University
item YUN, SEUNG HWAN - Central Research Institute - Korea
item VELASCO-GRAHAM, KATERINA - Texas A&M Agrilife
item Choi, Man-Yeon

Submitted to: Florida Entomologist
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/15/2022
Publication Date: 7/1/2022
Citation: Price, B.E., Raffin, C., Yun, S., Velasco-Graham, K., Choi, M.Y. 2022. A sustainable mass rearing method for western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). Florida Entomologist. 105(2):170-173. https://doi.org/10.1653/024.105.0211.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1653/024.105.0211

Interpretive Summary: Pest thrips have hundreds of host plants, including many ornamental and nursery crops. One of the most economically important pests is the Western flower thrips (WFT), owing to its serious damage on horticultural crops worldwide. Not only direct damage from feeding on flowers and fruits, they also transmit tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV) that is economically the most important. We developed a new mass rearing method that is a simple and cost-effective method providing live thrips,and molecular identification for thrips species. The new system facilitates various experimental scales in the lab and greenhouse to identify biological targets within WFT.

Technical Abstract: Western flower thrips (WFT), Frankliniella occidentalis, is a common horticultural and nursery crop pest throughout the world. Due to their extremely small size, quick life cycle, and broad host range, detecting and preventing the spread of WFT is extremely difficult. WFT damages plant matter by feeding, oviposition and indirectly vectoring plant pathogenic viruses such as the tomato spotted wilt virus. A mass rearing system is critical for the ability of large WFT samples to test various potential biological targets. This study developed a sustainable mass rearing method for WFT, including optimized rearing conditions and techniques to minimize mite contamination and mold infestation in the lab and greenhouse. We also established a DNA marker for molecular identification for thrips species. The mass rearing technique facilitates identifying biological targets using various ‘-omics’ tools such as genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics to develop alternative options for pest thrips.