THRIPS PALMI – POTENTIAL SURVIVAL AND

Thrips palmi Karny is a major pest of various crops in many countries. It does not occur in New Zealand but could be imported on ornamental plants or vegetables and is potentially a serious threat. Characterising the likely population growth and development of T. palmi under New Zealand conditions may assist with any eradication or long term management stemming from an incursion. In northern Asia, T. palmi over-winters in the fi eld in warmer areas, while in cooler areas it over-winters in glasshouses, which act as a source of infestation each spring. A simple model was created using the DYMEX population modelling software and previously published parameters. It was modifi ed to fi t Japanese and Korean data before running simulations for locations in New Zealand. In New Zealand, T. palmi was predicted to be able to over-winter outdoors in warmer areas but, if greenhouse populations establish, these could give rise to outdoor populations during summer in almost all areas investigated