THE STATUS AND MANAGEMENT OF FULMEKIOLA SERRATA (THYSANOPTERA: THRIPIDAE) IN SUGARCANE IN SOUTH AFRICA Lara Mansfield Doctorate Degree Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Supervisor: Dr. Prem Govender

Introduction Fulmekiola serrata (Kobus) - Orient region 2004 – Mainland Africa Currently - South African sugar belt All stages found within leaf spindle Damage Piercing, sucking Patches & streaks Red-brown blemishes Severe damage

Aims Resolution of thrips species complex and pest status Molecular identification Compare - international samples Taxonomic relationship & Origin Genetic diversity Fulmekiola serrata (Kobus) – dominant and primary pest species?

Materials & Methods Representative sample areas Thrips collection Spindles opened Absolute ethanol Target gene – mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I (COI) Host-associated evolutionary lineages in Thrips (Brunner et al., 2004) PCR amplification Universal primers – TL2-N-3014 and C1-J-1718 (Simon et al. 1994) Sequencing reactions

Tentative outline of PhD Literature review The genetic diversity and taxonomy Mechanisms of sugarcane resistance to thrips Yield loss and resistance / susceptibility Control by an entomogenous fungus, Metarhisium anisopliae Management package

Literature review Taxonomy Species Thrips tabaci Scirtothrips aurantii Frankliniela schultzei Frankliniela occidentalis Fulmekiola serrata Heliothrips sylvanus Haplothrips nigricornis Crop Cotton, Tobacco, Pineapples, Onions, Leeks, Garlic, Tomatoes Citrus, Macadamias, Mangoes, Proteas Pineapples, Proteas Vines Sugarcane Guavas, Grapevines Proteas, Aloes Family Thripidae Phlaeothripidae

Understanding the mechanisms of sugarcane resistance to thrips, Fulmekiola serrata (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in South Africa SASRI project Aims: Mechanisms - susceptibility / resistance Secondary plant metabolites Relationship between thrips and metabolites Physical characteristics of leaf Pilot study – 10 highly colonised & 10 sparsely colonised genotypes Single analytical method Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) (Schauer and Fernie, 2006; Ward et al., 2003) High resolution nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy (NMR) (Ward et al., 2003)

Yield loss & resistance / susceptibility Status of susceptible & resistant genotypes Replicated trials Aim: Confirm tolerance or susceptibility Assess damage Yield data Materials & Methods: Half highly colonised & half sparsely colonised genotypes Monthly surveys Termination (harvest) – yield data

An entomogenous fungus, Metarhisium anisopliae, for the control of Fulmekiola serrata (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) Microbial insecticide - Thrips tabaci in Kenya Improved efficacy Isolate of M. anisopliae Aim: Strain of entomogenous fungus for control of F. serrata Trial design: (Maniania et al., 2003) Randomised block design with four replicates Treatments Random and destructive sampling Incidence of mycosis in thrips recorded ANOVA Initial bioassay trials

Packaging a management strategy for sugarcane thrips, Fulmekiola serrata (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) in South Africa Assimilate information and findings Control strategies - other crops Management Package Extent of economic importance of F. serrata in South Africa Full scale IPM program could follow Ultimate aim – develop management options for South African conditions

References Brunner, P.C., Chatzivassiliou, E.K., Katis, N.I. and Frey, J.E. 2004. Host-Associated genetic differentiation in Thrips tabaci (Insecta; Thysanoptera), as determined from mtDNA sequence data. Heredity 93: 364 – 370. Maniania, N.K., Sithanantham, S., Ekesi, S., Ampong-Nyarko, K., Baumgartner, J., Lohr, B. and Matoka, C.M. 2003. A field trial of the entomogenous fungus Metarhisium anisopliae for control of onion thrips, Thrips tabaci. Crop Protection 22: 553-559. Simon C, Frati F, Beckenbach A, Crespi B, Liu H and Flook P. 1994. Evolution, weighing, and phylogenetic utility of mitochondrial gene sequences and a compilation of conserved polymerase chain reaction primers. Ann Entomol Soc Am 87: 651–701. Schauer, N. and Fernie, A.R. 2006. Plant metabolomics: towards biological function and mechanism. Trends in Plant Science 11(10): 508-516 Ward, J.L., Harris, C., Lewis, J. and Beale, M.H. 2003. Assessment of 1H NMR spectroscopy and multivariate analysis as a technique for metabolite fingerprinting of Arabidopsis thaliana. Phytochemistry 62: 949–957

Acknowledgements SASRI - financial backing Dr. Prem Govender - constant support and assistance My parents and growers - assistance in the field.