THE ABUNDANCE DYNAMICS AND SPECIES COMPOSITION OF THRIPS (THYSANOPTERA) ON SWEET PEPPERS IN GREENHOUSE
ĐLENA MUNTYAN 1, PETR ILIEV 2, MICHAIL BATKO 1, IRINA ILIEVA 2, MICHAELLA PLACHINTA 1 1. Institute of Genetics, Physiology and Plant Protection, PÄdurii street, 20, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova, e-mail: moontyane@yahoo.com
2. Institute of Horticulture and Food Technologies,Vieru street, 59, Chisinau, Republic of Moldova.
Thrips species composition and seasonal abundance was studied on greenhouse sweet pepper crops in Rebublic of Moldova. Ten thrips species have been identified using yellow sticky traps with methyl isonicotinate and by visual pest counts in pepper flowers. The economically important Thysanoptera species (T. tabaci , F.intonsa, F. occidentalis , T. atratus) that can spread viral infections and cause epiphytotics have been detected among them. Onion thrips was the eudominant species on pepper flowers (40.9%) and on the yellow sticky traps (84.7%). In May and July the Frankliniella species complex (F. intonsa and F. occidentalis ) abundance on sticky traps with methyl isonicotinate was low, not exceeding 3.3% on average of the total thrips. The proportion of thrips of the genus Frankliniella increased to 7.6% by September. Predatory thrips Aeolothrips intermedius were detected on traps in relatively high numbers (10%) at the beginning of the pepper vegetation. The role of A. intermedius in the suppression of the phytophagous thrips number during the cultivation of sweet pepper in a greenhouse is discussed.
