Eugenol, a Plant Volatile, Synergizes the Effect of the Thrips Attractant, Ethyl Iso-Nicotinate

Abstract

The onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), is a polyphagous pest that causes serious damage to agricultural crops, vegetables, and ornamental plants worldwide. Farmers rely on the extensive usage of synthetic chemical insecticides to control T. tabaci. There is a dire need to develop alternative control strategies to overcome the problems posed by chemical insecticides. Efficient traps would allow sensitive monitoring and possibly mass trapping. A field experiment was conducted to evaluate the potential of three plant compounds with known release rates (ranging from 6-30 mg/d); eugenol (Eug), 1, 8-cineole (eucalyptol), and linalool in all possible combinations with a thrips attractant, ethyl iso-nicotinate (EI). A combination of EI with Eug increased the effect of EI by attracting 100% more thrips (effect size, 1.95) as compared to the control of EI alone. Catches in remaining treatments were lower and or not significantly different from EI alone. The results from our study could be used to develop improved volatile blends to be used for monitoring traps. Our data suggests that these traps could be effective even at very low populations.

Keywords

pest management; Thrips tabaci; Thripidae; Thysanoptera; volatile blend

Published in

Environmental Entomology
2018, Volume: 47, number: 6, pages: 1560-1564 Publisher: OXFORD UNIV PRESS INC

SLU Authors

• Schlyter, Fredrik

  • Department of Plant Protection Biology, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences
    
  • Czech University of Life Sciences Prague

Associated SLU-program

SLU Plant Protection Network


UKÄ Subject classification

Zoology
Agricultural Science


Publication identifier

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/ee/nvy153

Permanent link to this page (URI)

https://res.slu.se/id/publ/98306