Predatory insect species, and patterns of abundance of two common thrips species (Thysanoptera) and their predators on common crops

Aim of study: The seasonal distributions of the western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) and the onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), as well as their primary predators, predatory bugs, Orius spp. (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae), in the polyculture agricultural area were investigated in order to gain a thorough understanding of the prey-predator relationships on various crop plants. Area of study: Adana Province, located in the eastern part of the Mediterranean Region of Türkiye. Materials and methods: Thrips and predatory insects were collected from various plants using the tapping method during 2019-2020. Their diversity, seasonal densities, and distributions were investigated. Main results: A total of 11 predator species were identified, with Orius laevigatus (Fieber) and Orius niger (Wolff) being the most prevalent species. The greatest diversity of predatory insect species was found among plant species from the Fabaceae family. With the exception of field crops, T. tabaci was found to be the most frequent thrips species in the examined cultivated plants when compared to F. occidentalis on common crop plants. Among winter vegetables, a significant number of predators, primarily O. laevigatus, were only collected from broad bean plants. The abundance patterns of thrips and predatory insects were closely associated with the flowering phenology of plants. Research highlights: Strong relationships were observed between Orius spp. and T. tabaci adults. This study suggests that broad beans, a winter crop, could be included in crop rotations during the autumn-to-early spring period to support the populations of predatory insects in various ways.