Tomato spotted wilt virus is a major constraint to crop production in the southeastern U.S., where the tobacco thrips is the predominant vector. Potted peanuts were placed into fields as a trap crop at 4 locations throughout the spring of 2000 and 2001. Tobacco thrips were collected from terminals and blooms on a weekly basis and all thrips identified as winged or brachypterous. NSS ELISA was performed on individual thrips to determine the percentage of viruliferous thrips in the population. Results indicate that due to the low percentage of brachypterous thrips in the population during the growing season, their limited dispersal capability, and the low percentage of viruliferous brachypterous thrips in the population, winged thrips may be of more importance to TSWV epidemics. Rainfall combined with low temperatures in the early spring appeared to delay thrips colonization. Viruliferous thrips appear to be immigrating into crop fields from weeds and/or other crop hosts.
Species 1: Thysanoptera Thripidae Frankliniella fusca (tobacco thrips)
Keywords: Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA