Major Pest Thrips in Taiwan

In Taiwan, little attention was paid to thrips until 1970. The increasing importance of thrips on various crops has resulted in research of their bionomics and control. Seven thrips have been noted as major pests, Thrips tabaci on Amaryllidae; Scirtothrips dorsalis on fruit; T. hawaiiensis on banana; Rhipiphorothrips cruentatus on wax apple and grapevine; Frankliniella intonsa on green asparagus and cut flowers; T. palmi on Solanaceae and Cucurbitaceae; and Megalurothrips usitatus on Leguminosae. Although chemicals are the primary control measure in Taiwan, the use of repellent silver mulches, wrapped bags and parasitic or predatory natural enemies are being studied.