Bioecology of the tea thrips, Scirtothrips bispinosus Bagnall (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) infesting tea in south India

Investigations were carried out on the life history and seasonal abundance of the thrips, Scirtothrips bispinosus infesting tea at Coonoor, The Nilgiris, Tamilnadu. The total developmental duration of females from egg to adult stage was 18.15±0.23, 12.55±0.15 and 10.30±0.23 days at 20, 25 and 30oC respectively. The net reproductive rate (Ro), mean generation time (Tc), intrinsic rate of natural increase (rm), finite rate of increase (ë) and weekly multiplication (Wm) rates were high at 25oC followed by 30oC and 20oC. Multiple regression analysis revealed that population density of S. bispinosus showed a negative relationship with rainfall (-0.266), maximum temperature (-38.839) and maximum relative humidity (-3.356) and positive relationship with minimum temperature (63.205), minimum relative humidity (1.686) and sunshine period (2.887). Incidence of thrips was high in the fields recovering from pruning followed by second, third and fourth year in a pruning cycle. The number of thrips per shoot was significantly higher on the plucking table when compared to the shoots present below the plucking table and side branches. In the tea plantations of South India, four species of predatory mites (Amblyseius cucumeris, A. fallacies, A. degenerans and Balaustium sp.), two species of predatory thrips (Franklinothrips vespiformis and Leptothrips mali), an anthocorid predator (Orius sp.) and one parasitoid (Trichogramma sp.) were found feeding and parasitizing on tea thrips, S. bispinosus.