Susceptibility of Tobacco Thrips, Frankliniella fusca, to the Neonicotinoid Class of Insecticides in Mid-South Region

Monday, March 16, 2015: 11:30 AM
Magnolia F (Beau Rivage Resort & Casino)
Chelsie Darnell , Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology, and Plant Pathology, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS
Fred R. Musser , Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology, and Plant Pathology, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS
Angus Catchot , Dept. of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS
Jeff Gore , Delta Research and Extension Center, Mississippi State University, Stoneville, MS
Don Cook , Delta Research and Extension Center, Mississippi State University, Stoneville, MS
Shannon Morsello , Department of Entomology, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC
Darrin Dodds , Plant and Soil Sciences, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS
This paper will address reduced insecticidal efficacy of imidacloprid, thiamethoxam, and clothianidin against tobacco  thrips ,Frankliniella fusca (Hinds), in the Mid-Southern Region. Over the past several years tobacco thrips have become an increasing problem throughout the cotton cropping systems in the South. Thrips can cause a delay in maturity and cause a reduction in yield if not controlled. If infestations are severe, thrips can cause a loss of apical dominance or even kill plants. Currently, seed treatments are the primary means of controlling tobacco thrips in cotton.

Dose-response bioassays with the three commonly used neonicotinoid insecticides were performed on field-collected adult female tobacco thrips during May and June, 2014. Populations were collected from agricultural regions in Mississippi from wild hosts as well as from insecticide-treated crops.  Results suggest that crop host was not an important factor in determining survival to neonicotinoids, but agricultural region was. Thrips collected from the Mississippi River Delta region were less susceptible to all three neonicotinoids than populations collected from the Northeastern part of Mississippi. When compared to a laboratory colony, field colonies were similarly susceptible to imidacloprid, but less susceptible to thiamethoxam.