Annual Occurrent Pattern of Scirtothrips dorsalis (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) on Citrus Trees and Surrounding Host Plants

Abstract

The damage of citrus by Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood appears to have increased since 2007 in Jeju, although the characteristics of seasonal abundance are not clear. This study was conducted to investigate the relationship between host plants and the seasonal abundance of S. dorsalis, observing plants distributed around citrus orchards. The host plants of S. dorsalis surrounding citrus orchards were determined to include 32 families, 54 species: 39 woody plant species and 15 herbaceous plant species. The host plants which related to the occurrence of 1st generation of S. dorsalis were Lonicera japonica, Clematis apiifolia, Hedera rhombea, and Viburnum awabuki. The occurrence of 1st generation S. dorsalis was estimated to be due to overwintered female adults having laid eggs into those plants from late March to early April, and the new adults having emerged from late April to late May. The host plants which were associated with fruit damage of citrus were Mallotus japonicus, and Camellia japonica, as well as creeping plants such as Clematis apiifolia, Paederia scandens and Cayratia japonica. The adult phase density of S. dorsalis caught on yellow-color sticky traps placed on the citrus trees on the edge of the citrus orchard. S. dorsalis were predominantly 3rd generation from late of June to early of July, and 6th generation from late of August to early of September, and their numbers were directly related to the degree of damage caused to the citrus fruit. The density of S. dorsalis depended on the number of new growing shoots of host plants, which indicated that the immigration of adults of S. dorsalis to the citrus was based in the suitability of host plants surrounding the orchards.