Thrips feeding injury on greenhouse grown Arugula
These photos were submitted by a grower.
Western flower thrips cause direct damage by feeding on plant leaves and flowers. Western flower thrips possess piercing-sucking mouthparts, and tend to feed on the mesophyll and epidermal cells of leaf tissues. Symptoms of feeding include leaf scarring, distorted growth, sunken tissues on leaf undersidesFlowers and leaves have a characteristic “silvery” appearance.
Black fecal deposits may be present on leaf undersides. Damage to plant leaves may also occur when females, using their sharp ovipositor, insert eggs into plant tissue.
Note the white scarring on the foliage of this greenhouse-grown Arugula.
See fact sheet Western Flower Thrips Management and Tospoviruses
