Efficacy of Herbivore-Induced Plant Volatile Methyl Salicylate in Evaluating the Seasonal Abundance of Herbivorous Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in Sweet Pepper

Abstract

Herbivorous thrips that damage fruits, vegetables, field crops, and ornamentals are challenging to control using insecticides and need an integrated approach (IPM) for their management. Herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) are semiochemical plants produced to attract natural enemies (NEs) of arthropod herbivores. Sex pheromones are animal-based semiochemicals that can attract males or females of conspecifics. The HIPV methyl salicylate (MS) is used in IPM to attract NEs. We conducted field experiments in 2018–2019 in Tennessee to study the efficacy of MS and the aggregation pheromone neryl (S)-2-methylbutanoate (NMB), which attracts Frankliniella occidentalis (FO), a dominant pest of many crops, in attracting thrips using sweet peppers. We found a significantly higher number of thrips in traps baited with MS than in the traps containing NMB when compared with a no-lure control. All treatments caught only one thrips species, Frankliniella tritici (FT), a significant pest of young cotton. It can also lower the abundance of FO in other crops. Our findings show that although FO was not found in the study location in Tennessee, traps baited with MS are suitable for managing FT and reducing FO in susceptible crops by increasing FT and attracting NEs to crop productions that use IPM-based management practices.