Investigate the ecology and management of blueberry flower thrips in Georgia

Commodities

Practices

Flower thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) are one of the blueberries' most common and harmful groups of pests (Turner & Liburd 2007). Flower thrips can transmit viral diseases besides feeding injury and deteriorating fruit quality. Insecticides are the primary tools for controlling flower thrips in blueberries (Liburd et al., 2017). However, the frequent overuse of insecticides can lead to the development of pesticide resistance problems and the increase in toxicity to beneficial insects and contamination of the environment. Particularly, the timing of flower thrips control during the bloom period presents a serious threat to pollinator health, which is also active during the bloom. There is an immediate need to develop a sustainable strategy to control the flower thrips populations that minimize pollinator health risks and do not enhance insecticide resistance. This research study accurately investigates the spatio-temporal distribution patterns and alternative hosts. It characterizes the flower thrips injury, which will help to determine the relationship between thrips densities and the amount of injury. The results obtained from this study will help us to detect the sources of the first infestation of thrips in the blueberry during bloom and help to develop more sustainable management programs to control thrips by using alternative strategies, including cultural and biological controls, and minimizing the use of broad-spectrum insecticides. This management approach will decrease the risk to pollinator health and enhance pollinator activity during the bloom, increasing productivity and profitability for blueberry farmers.

The overall goal of this study is to investigate the spatio-temporal distribution patterns and alternative hosts and characterize the blueberry flower thrips injury in Georgia to ultimately help blueberry farmers make informed decisions to control flower thrips more sustainably.

Specific objectives

1. Determine the spatio-temporal distribution patterns and identify the alternative hosts of blueberry flower thrips in Georgia.
2. Characterize flower thrips injury in blueberry crops.