What was it all about?

Thrips activity and associated fruit damage have been a concern for some years in New South Wales orchards, though until now there have been no formal investigations to determine the species of thrips present, the timing of their attack, or the nature of the damage caused.

This project, carried out in 2016/17, set out to examine thrips species and activity in the state’s orchards, and investigate correlation with ring russet damage.

The project team reported that weekly trapping, fruit inspections and canopy tapping generated a significant amount of new data relating to species and seasonal activity of thrips…

• Eleven species were detected, with the most common species being Thrips imaginis (plague thrips), Thrips tabaci (onion thrips), Frankliniella occidentalis (western flower thrips) and Frankliniella schultzei (common blossom thrips)
  
  
• Populations peaked in the lead-up to, or just following, cherry harvest
  
  
• Blue sticky traps were more effective in catching thrips than yellow traps
  
  
• The 2016/17 cherry season did not favour the development of ring russet damage, so no correlation with thrips could be found
  
  
• Apple dimpling bug (Campylomma liebknechti) was also observed in cherry tapping samples, prompting interest in its pest/beneficial status in cherries.

ACT NOW

Information from this project was included in the Orchard Plant Protection Guide for Deciduous Fruits in NSW, available through NSW DPI here.