Eliminating Thrips in Microshoot Cultures

Abstract

Two insecticides, acephate or azadirachtin, were added to tissue culture media to determine their effectiveness in controlling onion thrips (Thrips tabaci Lindeman.) and to determine if these insecticides could damage the plant shoot cultures. To test for insecticide phytotoxicity, microshoots from European birch (Betula pendula), American elm (Ulmus americana), `Pink Arola' chrysanthemum (Dendranthema grandiflora), `America' rhododendron (Rhododendron catawbiense), `Golden Emblem' rose (Rosa hybrida), and `Gala' apple (Malus domestica) were placed in 130-ml baby food jars containing 25 ml of medium supplemented with 6.5, 13, or 26 mg/l Orthene® (contained acephate) or 0.55, 1.1, or 2.2 ml/l Azatin® (contained azadirachtin). Control jars lacked insecticide. To test for thrips control, 13 mg/l Orthene® or 0.55 ml/l Azatin® was added to Murashige and Skoog medium, and 10 thrips were placed on `Gala' apple microshoots in each jar. Jars were sealed with plastic wrap. In both studies, microshoot dry weight and heights were determined. In the second study, the total number of thrips per jar was also determined 3 weeks after inoculation. Microshoots on Orthene®-treated media lacked phytotoxicity symptoms, regardless of the concentration used. In contrast, Azatin® hindered plant growth, decreasing shoot height or dry weight by up to 85% depending on the species. Both insecticides prevented thrips populations from increasing, since less than 10 thrips were found in jars with insecticide-treated medium. Control jars, however, contained an average of almost 70 thrips per jar. This study demonstrated that both Orthene® and Azatin® were effective for eradicating thrips from plant tissue cultures, but Orthene® should probably be used because Azatin® was phytotoxic to all species tested.