Seasonal variation of thrips species in grapevine according to phenological stages and management systems

Abstract

The objective of this work was to evaluate the occurrence of thrips species and the population fluctuation, of the most frequent and abundant ones, in different management systems and phenological stages of grapevine. The experiment was carried out in Petrolina, PE, Brazil, in five vineyards – three with the cultivar Sugraone (certified, semi‑conventional, and conventional) and two with the cultivar Brasil (certified and conventional). Leaves and flowers were collected during two subsequent years (2008–2010) from 15 plants. Correlation analyses were performed between the means of thrips infestation and the meteorological variables temperature, relative humidity, and rainfall. The average number of larvae and adult thrips was compared between the management systems and phenological stage. The thrips species found on leaves were: Heliothrips haemorrhoidalis, Retithrips syriacus, Selenothrips rubrocinctus, Frankliniella schultzei, Frankliniella sp., and Scolothrips sp., as well as nymphs of Aelothripidae. On flowers, only the Thripidae species was found: F. schultzei, F. brevicaulis, F. rodeos, F. gardenia, and Frankliniella sp. There was no correlation between
temperature, relative air humidity, and rainfall with the average number of thrips. There is a thrips species
complex on grapevine, and plant phenology affects the abundance of the insects.