Thrips
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Peanut planting season is well underway in Georgia, and the insect issue of greatest concern this time of year is thrips. The feeding injury caused by these tiny insects will slow seedling growth and can result in lost yield. More importantly, thrips transmit Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus which can have devastating impact on peanut yield.…
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We are at the point in the growing season where a lot of Georgia peanut fields are 25 to 35 days after planting. Though thrips pressure has not been particularly high in 2023, it doesn’t take many adults per plant to produce a damaging population of immatures on peanut. Thrips injury typically peaks around 28…
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Peanut planting time has arrived in Georgia, and that means thrips season is here as well. Many of the decisions a peanut grower makes at planting will affect the risk of thrips infestation and the risk of Tomato spotted wilt disease. By now, growers should have a plan for managing thrips and TSWV, but here…
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The value of at-plant insecticides for thrips management was readily apparent in UGA trials this week in Tifton. While untreated peanuts were getting hammered (picture on the left below), all of the in-furrow insecticide treatments we are evaluating were holding up pretty good (picture on the right below: phorate treated). Thrips injury generally peaks around…
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Peanut planting season is also thrips season in Georgia, and growers need to be prepared to manage this tiny but damaging insect pest. I checked some volunteer peanuts in a Tift county field today, and they were LOADED with adult tobacco thrips. Recent research at UGA confirmed that thrips feeding injury can cause yield loss…
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This post will serve as my annual, early-season reminder about thrips and Tomato Spotted Wilt Virus management. Research has shown that for every 1% TSWV found in a peanut field at harvest time, we can expect about a 20 pound reduction in per-acre yield. TSWV management is over when the furrow closes. Making good management…
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I will make this post as straight forward as I can. UGA research shows that for every 1% Tomato spotted wilt Virus (TSWV) incidence in GA-06G at the end of the season, peanuts lose 20 pounds of yield per acre. Most thrips management options and all TSWV management options end when the seed furrow closes.…
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June will bring a shift in insect concerns in peanut, and as usual, the weather will play a large role in determining what happens next. April and May insect questions were primarily about thrips, so I will give a short summary of the 2020 thrips situation. Thrips pressure in my trials was variable with some…
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Over the years several folks have asked why there is a difference in the recommended rate of acephate for cotton (3 oz/acre) and peanut (6-12 oz/acre). I applied acephate (97) at 3, 6, or 12 oz/acre to peanut on 10 May (16 days after planting). The pictures below were taken on 21 May. A =…
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Trap captures of adult tobacco thrips increased right on schedule last week at four of our six monitoring locations. The NCSU thrips model predicts peak dispersal will occur around 15 May in the Tifton, area. Thrips dispersal will not end all at once following the peak, and growers should be aware that the risk of…
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Peanuts are being planted, tobacco thrips are moving, and there is nothing unusual about either of those things this time of year in Georgia. Our thrips traps are picking up numbers that I would describe as typical for late April. Growers should remember that peanuts planted prior to 10 May are at increased risk for…
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Every spring I post an article on this blog about early season thrips management in peanut. The most important difference between 2019 and the previous five years is probably the economic situation of Georgia’s farmers after hurricane Michael and the almost continuous rain that fell though the 2018 harvest season. Perhaps in 2019 more than…
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Thrips numbers on our traps increased significantly last week. Counts were as high as I have seen in Georgia in four years. Growers need to be checking their fields for thrips injury especially if no insecticide was used at plant or if a neonicotinoid insecticide was used in-furrow. Thrips injury can progress quickly, and too…
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Tobacco thrips captures remained steady for two weeks and then declined over the last seven days. Whether this represents the end of the spring thrips flight remains to be seen, but it certainly is not bad news for peanut growers. As we pass mid-May thirps typically become less of a concern, and we can begin…
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