S14 - Session P3 - Sustainable method for thrips management in strawberry culture under greenhouse condition

Authors: Nelson Laurent *, Thierry Picaud, Amaury Moens, Sophie Serderidis, Damien Cariou

Thrips are an important and widely spread pest responsible for huge damages in everlasting strawberries, particularly under cover. Considering the evident limits of chemical control against this pest, and the high costs of auxiliary driven protection, we tested new strategies to effectively control thrips. By using a mix of essential oils from clove and cinnamon, and leguminous plant extracts both foliarly and alternatively applied during the growing season, we successfully managed to partially control a population of thrips in a strawberry yard (var. Murano) under glasshouse conditions ( with a 65,5% decrease in the number of individuals per flower) . We observed a statistically significant diminution in the percentage of damaged fruits (53,24%) with a positive effect on yield. Even if we still observed the presence of damaged fruits, we propose that our strategy, combined with biological control techniques could improves the obtained results.