How to control thrips on eggplant? Sharing the latest control methods
Thrips are one of the common pests during the growing period of eggplant and other crops, seriously affecting growers' plant returns, and when they break out they can even cause total crop failure. Below, let's learn about the harm, occurrence patterns and control methods of eggplant thrips.
1. Harm
Thrips adults and nymphs pierce and suck the sap of heart leaves, tender stems and young fruits, causing the buds and leaves of the damaged plants to curl up, and the heart leaves cannot unfold normally, thus showing a clustered appearance. Damaged young fruits are very prone to deformity, and in severe cases cause fruit drop; the skin of the damaged fruit is rough with spots, or bears brown ripples and is covered with “rusty skin”, and the fruit is deformed.
2. Occurrence patterns
In areas with a suitable climate, thrips can occur for more than 20 generations a year. Adults overwinter in solanaceous and leguminous vegetables, weeds or soil cracks, and a small number of nymphs also overwinter. When the temperature rises above 12 degrees, thrips revive and begin to feed; they are controlled on winter-crop eggplant, and in summer they can move to other vegetables. Its adults are lively, agile and good at flying, and during the day they mostly hide in the growth nodes of melon seedlings and in the hairs of young melons. They lay eggs in tissues such as growing points, tender leaves, young melons and seedlings, and after hatching they can move and feed.
3. Control methods
When raising seedlings, transplant at the right time and try to avoid the peak period; after the seedlings emerge, film mulching can be used instead of straw mulching, which can greatly reduce the pest population, and timely clearing of wild solanaceous and leguminous plants near the field can also effectively reduce the source of pests. When eggplant is found to be damaged by thrips, spray pesticides in time for control; you can use 5% imidacloprid emulsifiable concentrate at 1500-2000 times dilution, or 1.8% abamectin at 4000-5000 times dilution, or 45% malathion emulsifiable concentrate at 1000 times dilution for spray control, and when using them, pay attention to alternating the pesticides to avoid thrips developing resistance.
The above is an introduction to the control methods for eggplant thrips. We hope it can help you. To learn more related knowledge, please keep following us.