Assessing the Efficiency of Different Chemical Products for Western Flower Thrips

The principal management strategy used to deal with western flower thrips in greenhouses involves the use of insecticides (R. A. Cloyd, 2009). We assessed the effectiveness of five chemical variants in five rows of tomato (36 m  2 ). The variants were: Pyrinex 25 NE (Clorpirifos 0.03%), Oscar 10 CE (Novaluron 0.06%), Vertimec 1.8 CE (Abamectin 0.08%), Karat-Ezeon (Lambda-chialotrin 0.02), Actara 25 WG (Thiametoxan 0.02%). Each variant was tested on a single row of tomato. Treatments were repeated four times. After each treatment, three examinations were performed: 24 hours before treatment, 24 hours after treatment and 7 days after treatment. Examinations consisted of counting direct on the plant the adults and pre-adults stages (larvae) separately. Twenty four hours after treatment the mean number of thrips per plant ranged from 39 individuals (Actara 25 WG) to 83.8 individuals (Oscar 10 CE). Seven days after treatment the mean number of thrips per plant varied between 23.5 individuals (Actara 25 WG) and 63.8 individuals (Oscar 10 CE). Regarding examination after 24 hours, our data showed that the minimum percentage of efficiency was registered for Pyrinex 25 NE and maximum for Karat-Ezeon. After a week the efficiency was 44% for Vertimec 1.8 CE and 71.1% for Karat-Ezeon. Thus we recommend Karat-Ezeon for thrips management but in combination with other monitoring tools to establish the right moment to use.