In late years , growers of ornamental plant have been confront with new invasive thrips specie coming from Asia . These little insect weaken and damage the plants by feeding on the leaves and blossom . The Business Unit Greenhouse Horticulture and Flower Bulbs of Wageningen University & Research is searching for good biological restraint strategies against these invasive thrips . For example , it appear that the predatory hemipterous insect Orius laevigatus is very effective in the fight against Dichromothrips corbetti in Phalaenopsis .
Growers invest more and more in research on biologic cuss ascendance for several cause : to reduce the impact of chemic pesticide on the environment and human wellness , but also because there are fewer chemic pesticide usable on the market , and their efficaciousness decreases over metre with the development of thrips electric resistance .
WUR is doing research on biologic control of four thrips species in three ornamental crop : Thrips setosus in lily , Thrips parvispinus and Chaetanaphothrips orchidii in tail-flower and Dichromothrips corbetti in Phalaenopsis . The research started in the laboratory by testing the predation capacity of dissimilar natural enemies ( mite , insect , spider ) on the four thrips mintage . The natural enemies with the highest predation content were then selected to be tested in 4 greenhouse test at the Business Unit location in Bleiswijk . So far , nine species have been tested in the glasshouse : 5 soupcon species ( Amblyseius swirskii , Transeius montdorensis , Neoseiulus cucumeris , Macrocheles robustulus , and Stratiolaelaps scimitus ) , three insect coinage ( Chrysoperla carnea , Dalotia coriaria , and Orius laevigatus ) and one wanderer species ( Erigone dentipalpis ) .
The most conclusive result were observed with O. laevigatus , T. montdorensis , and N. cucumeris against D. corbetti in Phalaenopsis : each one of these three natural opposition eradicated the thrip from the plants in a few weeks only . These instinctive enemy can also be used in combination : O. laevigatus can be used in a curative scheme ( usher in only when the first thripid are find in the craw ) . In direct contrast , T. montdorensis or N. cucumeris can be used in a prophylactic strategy ( innovate on a regular basis before the thrips are detected ) .
WUR is now doing more research to understand which factor influence the efficacy of lifelike foe in greenhouses the most . The research on biological ascendency of invasive thrips is funded by the Ministerie van landbouw , Natuur en Voedselkwaliteit , Stichting Kennis in je Kas , Gewascoöperaties Lelie en potorchidee , Anthura and Dümmen Orange .
For more information : Wageningen University & Researchwww.wur.nl
