Thermal requirements and estimates of the annual number of generations of Heliothrips haemorrhoidalis in strawberry-producing regions of Brazil

• Published in: Phytoparasitica 2022-11, Vol.50 (5), p.947-955
• Main Authors: de Souza, Mireli Trombin, de Souza, Michele Trombin, Werner, Simone Silmara, Zawadneak, Maria Aparecida Cassilha
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agriculture; Biomedical and Life Sciences; Cultivars; Cultivation; Ecology; Fragaria ananassa; Fruit cultivation; Fruits; Heliothrips haemorrhoidalis; Insects; Larvae; Life Sciences; Original Article; Pests; Plant Pathology; Plant Sciences; Strawberries; Temperature; Temperature effects
• ISSN: 0334-2123; 1876-7184
• DOI: 10.1007/s12600-022-00998-0

Heliothrips haemorrhoidalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) is a potential pest of strawberry leaves ( Fragaria  ×  ananassa ) that causes silvery lesions. Understanding the influence of temperature on the development of this species may be important for predicting population spikes in strawberry cultivation. This study evaluated the effect of temperature on the development of H. haemorrhoidalis in order to determine the insect's thermal requirements and estimate the number of annual generations in the main strawberry-producing regions in Brazil. Heliothrips haemorrhoidalis was reared on strawberry leaflets of the ‘Aromas’ cultivar at six constant temperatures (16, 19, 22, 25, 28, and 31 °C). The egg-adult development period decreased from 72.89 to 20.51 days as the temperature increased from 16 to 31 °C. The highest survival values (100%) of larvae to adults were achieved at 22, 25, 28, and 31 °C. The lower thermal limit and the thermal constant for H. haemorrhoidalis completing a generation in the strawberry were 11.37 °C and 403.23 degree-days, respectively. These results showed that the values presented here were consistent with previously published data for H. haemorrhoidalis when reared with Citrus spp. The highest number of annual generations (9.81) was estimated for the municipality of Jaboti, Paraná State. The findings may be useful for predicting population peaks in thrips and managing insect pests in strawberry cultivation.