Banded thrips against onion thrips: habitat management in onion production
Abstract
The onion thrips Thrips tabaci Lindeman (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), favoured by increasing heat and drought, is a problem pest in summer onion crops in the vegetable growing regions of eastern Austria. A natural antagonist is the predatory thrips Aeolothrips spp. If present regularly and in sufficient numbers, it has the potential to sustainably reduce T. tabaci populations in onions. Habitat management is promising in this context: flower strips with a mix of functionally appropriate flowering plants can make arable land attractive and favourable for Aeolothrips spp.. A prerequisite for the success of this control strategy is the clarification of previously unanswered questions regarding the occurrence, behaviour, population development and predation rate. Identifying the most common species of the genus Aeolothrips and the flowering plant(s) on which these predatory thrips are found is of fundamental importance. The attractiveness of the flowering plants and onion plants infested with T. tabaci to Aeolothrips spp. will be investigated under laboratory conditions, as well as their predation rate on infested onion plants. A field trial comparing population dynamics and development of pest and beneficial in summer onion with specifically designed annual and biennial flowering strips will evaluate the potential of habitat management for biological control of onion thrips.
Project staff
Elisabeth Helene Koschier
ao.Univ.Prof. Dipl.-Ing.Dr.nat.techn. Elisabeth Helene Koschier
elisabeth.koschier@boku.ac.at
Tel: +43 1 47654-95303
Project Leader
16.07.2025 - 31.03.2028