Thrips (Thrips tabaci)

Symptoms

• Onion are seen in large numbers between leaf sheaths and stems of garlic.
• They lacerate the epidermis of leaf and suck the exuding cell sap.
• The affected leaves show silvery blotches which later turn into brownish colour.
• The leaves get distorted from tips downwards and plant ultimately wilt and dry away.
• Seedlings are killed due to heavy infestation and the plant growth is retarded.
• The shape and size of bulbs as well as yield is affected by thrips.

Management

• Follow proper field sanitation techniques such as removal of alternate weed hosts and destruction of culls of onion and garlic.
• Avoid successive planting of onion and garlic.
• Plastic mulching with silver coloured reflective sheets.
• Barrier cropping with two rows of maize on the outer border of crop.
• Use sprinkler irrigation.
• Flooding of infested field will check the thrips population.
• Plant the new crop in upwind direction of already planted crop which help in escaping infestation from old planting to some extent in the initial stages.
• Adjust the transplanting dates
• Orius tantillus is an effective natural enemy.
• Beauveria bassiana is also an effective option for the management of the pest.

Chemical Control

Extremely Toxic

Highly Toxic

Moderately Toxic

Slightly Toxic