Thrips damage to High Tunnel Cucumbers
Amy Ivy, Vegetable Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Cucumbers thrive in high tunnels but so do the pests that love them so. This week I saw extreme feeding injury caused by thrips, not just to the leaves which is typical, but to the fruit as well. Unfortunately we don't have many control options, and with so many generations a season this is a particularly difficult pest to control.
An organic option is spinosad (Entrust) and a conventional option is Baythroid, both approved for tunnel application. Bio-control options exist but must be introduced early and repeatedly to keep the thrips population in check. They are not effective once the pest population is well established. Both western flower thrips and onion thrips can infest and significantly damage cucumbers.
For more information on thrips, mites and other high tunnel pests see the Sustainable Pest Management in Greenhouses and High Tunnels, a SARE factsheet based on Judson Reid's research below.
This article was printed in the May 24th, 2018 issue of ENYCHP Veg News. To view the full newsletter, click here.
Sustainable Pest Management in Greenhouses and High Tunnels (pdf; 1444KB)
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