Pacific Pests, Pathogens, Weeds & Pesticides - Online edition

Pacific Pests, Pathogens, Weeds & Pesticides

Melon thrips (106)


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Summary

  • Worldwide distribution. A problem of many plant families - cabbages, cucumber, legume, potato, ornamentals, and weeds.
  • Feed on undersides of leaves, which become silvery or brown, and curl. Feeding on fruit when it is young produces scars when the fruit expands.
  • Spreads viruses, e.g., Tomato spotted wilt virus is widespread and important (not reported from Pacific island countries).
  • Cultural control: avoid planting near older crops; nurseries far from production areas and/or use thrips-proof netting; weed before planting; at harvest, collect trash and burn. For the control of TSWV use resistant varieties.
  • Chemical control: use soaps, oils, neem, or spinosad.

Common Name

Melon thrips

Scientific Name

Thrips palmi (but note, no species of palms are host!).


AUTHORS Grahame Jackson & Mani Mua
Information from Waterhouse DF, Norris KR (1987) Thrips palmi. Biological Control Pacific Prospects. Inkata Press; and CABI (2021) Thrips palmi (melon thrips). Crop Protection Compendium. (https://www.cabi.org/isc/datasheet/53745); Melon thrips Thrips palmi. Department of Environment Food & Rural Affairs. (https://planthealthportal.defra.gov.uk/assets/factsheets/thrips-palmi-factsheet.pdf). Photo 1 Guyot J, INRA, Pointe-a-Pitre, Bugwood.org. Photo 2 Plant Protection Service Archive, Plant Protection Service, Bugwood.org.

Produced with support from the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research under project PC/2010/090: Strengthening integrated crop management research in the Pacific Islands in support of sustainable intensification of high-value crop production, implemented by the University of Queensland and the Secretariat of the Pacific Community.

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