Introduction
Farming of strawberries is associated with numerous challenges, one of them being thrips. They are small insects capable of causing extensive damage, both in the quality and quantity of strawberries, by feeding on the surface of the fruits and deformed flowers. Increasingly the consumer is insisting on strawberries that have been organically grown and therefore there is a need to find ways of managing the threats that pose a major threat to the strawberry crop safely and effectively. This blog looks at different ways in which the strawberry thrips can be controlled organically with special concern on the predators and Beauveria bassiana insecticide.
Understanding Strawberry Thrips
Thrips, especially the western flower thrips, is a small slender insect that pierces the cells of plants to feed on the content. Hence, they prefer strawberries where they damage the flowers and growing fruits by bronzing and stippling on the fruits, disqualifying them in the market. The importance of thrips management is even compounded by their ability to transmit plant virus diseases.
Organic Control Strategies
The following organic strategies can be effectively employed to manage thrip populations in strawberry fields:The following organic strategies can be effectively employed to manage thrip populations in strawberry fields:
Cultural Practices: Matters such as crop rotation, use of reflective mulches, and the elimination of weed hosts assists in controlling the thrips. Thus, reflective mulches inhibit thrips’ capacity to make a successful alighting on strawberry plants.
Biological Control:
Natural Predators: Examples include, predatory mites, e. g. Neoseiulus cucumeris, predatory pirate bugs and lacewing larvae that feed on thrips.
Biological control of thrips by Beauveria Bassiana: This is a naturally occurring fungus and which works as an insect pest control for thrips. Haploid telephone smut is a parasitic fungus, which invades the body of thrips through its spores that apparently kill the thrips pest. Among the effective products for this is organic insecticide for thrips, BEVERIA WP Wettable Powder bought from NovoBac.
Organic Insecticides:
Neem Oil: An oil obtained from the seed of an African tree used as a repellent and a growth hormone. Debris showed good results against thrip as it is lethal particularly to the tender young thrip larvae.
Spinosad: This natural chemical which is produced from a given bacterium known as Saccharopolyspora spinosa is lethal to thrips, and thus may be applied as an organic form of pest control.
Application Tips
Effective application of organic controls involves:Organic controls have this stipulation since their practical application entails:
Timing: Thrips infestations can be effectively controlled if applications are made at early stages of thrip’s life cycle to avoid its build up.
Coverage: It requires good coverage, especially concerning pests such as contact insecticides like Beauveria bassiana. These parts include the lower surfaces of the leaves and the vicinity of flowers and fruits must be treated.
Advantages of Organic Control
Organic control methods offer several advantages:Organic control methods offer several advantages:
Environmental Safety: They are safer to the environment than their traditional counterparts since they minimize the chances of chemical leaching.
Consumer Health: They protect strawberries from any chemical that may be dangerous to human health.
Sustainable Farming: It helps in preserving the soil health and also the biodiversity of farming practices at large.
Conclusion
Strawberry thrips organic control demands the use of cultural methods, biological control and allows the use of organic pesticides. Using Beauveria bassiana and the natural enemies resulted in the decrease in thrips’ population when used in an integrated Pest Management (IPM) manual farming practices that do not disrupt the natural environment. To know more about organic control products, and measures adopted by NovoBac, get online with NovoBac.
