Site specific survey of thrips vectors of viral diseases in West Texas peanut

Date

2000-12

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Publisher

Texas Tech University

Abstract

West Texas peanut were sampled for Thysanoptera during the seedling, vegetative and bloom stages during the 1999 and 2000 growing seasons to determine thrips species composition, densities and distributions. Seven thrips species were identified from the two year survey in peanut. Three of the species Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), Frankliniella fusca (Hinds), and Thrips tabaci (Lindeman) are known vectors of tomato spotted wilt virus (TSWV), a devastating viral disease in peanut. A total of 736 F. occidentalis were collected in 1999 (80.3% of the total) and 2,541 in 2000 (82.0% of the total) indicating that they are the predominant thrips of peanut. Frankliniella fusca comprised 159 (17.9%) of the total thrips collected in 1999 and 543 (17.5%) of the total collected in 2000. Only ten T tabaci were collected in 1999 and five in 2000 indicating that it is not in high enough densities to cause epidemics in West Texas peanut. Frankliniella occidentalis was found on both sides of the Caprock Escarpment during peanut seedling, terminal, and bloom collection dates, the results of this survey indicate that if F. occidentalis were to vector TSWV to West Texas peanut; a devastating epidemic could occur. Frankliniella fusca, the known vector of TSWV in previous epidemics in Texas, posses a greater threat east of the Caprock, where they were detected in seedling peanuts in higher densities compared to west of the Caprock. There were no visual symptoms of TSWV detected from all 243 sample sites (3,557 row meter) in 1999 or 315 sites (4,788 row meter) In 2000.

Description

Keywords

Tomato spotted wilt virus disease, Thrips, Peanuts

Citation