<i>Thrips palmi</i> potential survival and population growth in New Zealand

Abstract

Thrips palmi Karny is a major pest of various crops in many countries It does not occur in New Zealand but could be imported on ornamental plants or vegetables and is potentially a serious threat Characterising the likely population growth and development of T palmi under New Zealand conditions may assist with any eradication or long term management stemming from an incursion In northern Asia T palmi overwinters in the field in warmer areas while in cooler areas it overwinters in glasshouses which act as a source of infestation each spring A simple model was created using the DYMEX population modelling software and previously published parameters It was modified to fit Japanese and Korean data before running simulations for locations in New Zealand In New Zealand T palmi was predicted to be able to overwinter outdoors in warmer areas but if greenhouse populations establish these could give rise to outdoor populations during summer in almost all areas investigated