Biology, Damage Caused, and Management of Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) Infesting Vegetable Crops in Malaysia

Thrips (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) are regarded as one of the most pernicious insect pests that afflict vegetable crops across the globe. They cause damage to plant tissues during the pre-flowering to flowering stages, with the most harm occurring to pollen and flowers. The insect undergoes a gradual type of metamorphosis with six developmental stages: an egg, two active larval stages (L1 and L2), an active and non-feeding pupal stage (pre-pupa and pupa), and an adult stage (male and female). Both nymphs and adults can cause direct damage to vegetable crops through feeding and oviposition and indirect damage through the transmission of tospoviruses. Vegetables that are damaged due to infestation of thrips or viral diseases can become unmarketable, leading to financial losses to the producers. Control of thrips is mainly reliant on synthetic chemical pesticides, although alternative measures such as cultural, biological, and botanical controls have been reported to be promising and safer.