Potential for managing thrips in seedling cotton using particle films

Thrips are economically important pests of seedling cotton in the southeastern US. Feeding damage to seedling cotton causes leaf curling, stunted growth, and reduced plant stand. The objective of this research was to explore methods for disrupting thrips host finding behaviors with the goal of reducing colonization.  Field trials were conducted in cotton utilizing conventional and conservation tillage practices and applications of reflective particle films. Particle films had no significant effect on weekly adult or immature thrips densities, plant height, true leaf count, stand count, maturity, or plant biomass. When summed across weeks, adult Frankliniella fusca counts were significantly greater in plots treated with kaolin clay. Conservation tillage significantly reduced adult and immature thrips densities across weeks. Plant height and true leaf count response to tillage varied by week. Conservation tillage significantly reduced stand count and biomass, delayed plot maturity, and reduced seed cotton yield. The percent reflectance of visible light of the particle films used is reported.