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Sampling for Estimating Frankliniella Species Flower Thrips and Orius Species Predators in Field Experiments
Published on: July 17, 2019
Pest interactions within the goji berry food web: Pollen modulates intraguild predation between omnivorous flower
Xin-Tong Dong1, Xiao-Tong Fu1, Yong-Hong Jia1
1College of Horticulture and Plant Protection, Inner Mongolia Agricultural University, Hohhot, China.
Background:
Goji berry (Lycium barbarum L.) fruit is widely used as a nutritious food and medicinal herb in China. The production of goji berries is increasingly threatened by the omnivorous flower thrips Frankliniella intonsa, as well as two other herbivores, the goji berry gall mite Aceria pallida Keifer and the goji berry psyllid Bactericera gobica Loginova. The complex interactions among these species may alter pest population dynamics, thereby affecting the yield and quality of goji berries. This study investigated the predation of gall mites and psyllids by flower thrips, examined the effect of goji berry pollen on this interaction, and evaluated the fitness of flower thrips in terms of their development, survival, and reproduction.
Results:
The results showed that flower thrips preyed on gall mite adults, psyllid eggs, and first-instar psyllid nymphs. Meanwhile, providing goji berry pollen to flower thrips significantly reduced the consumption of both pest species, indicating its role as a high-quality alternative food source. Furthermore, supplementing goji berry leaves with goji berry pollen, gall mite adults, psyllid eggs, or first-instar psyllid nymphs significantly improved the development, survival, and oviposition rate of flower thrips, among which goji berry pollen exhibited the strongest promoting effect on the fitness of flower thrips.
Conclusion:
By revealing intraguild predation between flower thrips and either gall mites or psyllids and highlighting the regulatory role of goji berry pollen, this study provides a novel approach for the coordinated management of these three pests using pollen as an alternative food source. © 2026 Society of Chemical Industry.
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