INFLUENCE OF HOST PLANT ON THE POPULATION DENSITY OF FRANKLINIELLA OCCIDENTALIS PERGANDE (THYSANOPTERA: THRIPIDAE) ON DIFFERENT VEGETABLE CULTURES IN GREENHOUSES

PAPADAKI, M., V. HARIZANOVA and A. BOURNAZAKIS, 2008. Influence of host plant on the population density of Frankliniella occidentalis pergande (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) on different vegetable cultures in greenhouses. Bulg. J. Agric. Sci., 14: 454-459 F. occidentalis is considered one of the most harmful insect pests of vegetable crops in greenhouses in Greece. The experiments were carried out at a specially designed greenhouse at TEI of Crete, with the aim to establish the influence of host plant on the population density of nymphs and adults of the trips on the leaves and the flowers of cucumber, eggplant, melon, bean, pepper and tomato. The population density of the trips was monitored weekly by visual examination of leaves and flowers of the different vegetable cultures. According to the results, eggplant is the most attractive to F.occidentalis, and pepper is the least attractive. It is also found that there is difference in the preference for feeding to the leaves or to the flowers of the separate cultures. A preference to the leaves of eggplant and to the flowers of melon was observed. The least attractive were the leaves of pepper and the flowers of eggplant. For oviposition most preferred sites were flowers of melon and the leaves of eggplant.