We compared the effectiveness of three different trap colours (blue, yellow and white) to identify the optimal trap colour for the monitoring of the thripsFrankliniella intonsa,Thrips tabaci,Thrips fuscipennisandAeolothrips intermediusin the three pea cultivars, namely Polar, Izolda and Tarchalska. The number of captured thrips specimens was significantly affected by trap colour, pea cultivar and interaction between these factors. The two most attractive trap base colours for thrips were blue (peak at 450 nm) and yellow (peak at 550 nm). Irrespective of the pea cultivar, mostF. intonsawere captured on the blue and yellow traps. Blue traps were the most attractive toT. fuscipennisandT. tabaci, followed by yellow and white ones, and yellow traps were most attractive toA. intermedius. More thrips were caught on the traps located in the plots with cultivars characterised by a longer growing season Tarchalska and Izolda, which were inhabited by large numbers of thrips. There was a significant interaction effect between trap colour and pea cultivar on the number of caughtF. intonsaandT. fuscipennisin both years and forT. tabaciin 2010. Overall, among the tested trap colours, blue traps were the most effective ones for monitoring thrips in pea fields and could be used as an early detection tool. Yellow traps may be risky because they reduce population densities of the predaceousA. intermediusin pea fields, thus leading to an increase in pest numbers.

The Farm-to-Fork strategy, an essential component of the European Green Deal, aims to establish a sustainable and healthy food system. A crucial aspect of this strategy is reducing synthetic pesticide use by 50% by 2030. In this context, biocontrol is seen as a vital tool for achieving this goal. However, the upscaling of biocontrol faces several challenges, including technical and socio-economic issues and concerns regarding the legal status of biocontrol products. This article focuses on the Positive List, which includes indigenous and introduced species that have been established for use in EPPO countries and approved biological agents in some OECD countries. This article discusses microbial control agents and active substances derived from microbial metabolites, macro-agents, semi-chemicals, and plant-based compounds. It covers their origins, active substances, mechanisms of action against target pests, application methods, market availability, benefits, and potential environmental side effects. Additionally, it discusses the role of beneficial insects and mites as natural enemies in Integrated Pest Management (IPM) within the context of conservation methods. This article addresses the future of biological control, which largely relies on advancements in science to tackle two critical challenges: enhancing the reliability and effectiveness of biopreparations in field conditions and developing suitable formulations of biopesticides tailored to large-scale cultivation technologies for key crops.

Damage caused to cultivated carrots by the hawthorn-carrot aphid, Dysaphis crataegi Kalt. (Hemiptera: Aphididae) is one of the factors limiting carrot production in Poland. Planting resistant and tolerant cultivars could reduce yield losses due to the damage caused by this pest. This study was conducted to evaluate the resistance and/or tolerance of 10 carrot genotypes to hawthorn-carrot aphid. Their field resistance was determined under field conditions based on five indicators, namely, mean number of alates (migrants) per plant and mean percentage of plants colonized by them, mean seasonal number of aphids per plant, mean number of aphids per plant and mean percentage of infested plants at peak abundance. Antibiosis experiments were conducted under laboratory conditions and pre-reproductive, reproductive time, fertility, and demographic parameters, represented by the net reproduction rate (R_o), intrinsic rate of increase (r_m) and mean generation time (T), were calculated. Five cultivars, Afro F₁, Nipomo F₁, Samba F₁, White Satin F₁, and Yellowstone showed field resistance. Antibiosis experiments revealed significant differences among the carrot cultivars in the length of the reproductive period, female fecundity in the time equal to the pre-reproduction time, and total progeny of hawthorn-carrot aphid. The intrinsic rate of natural increase (r_m) for apterous aphids varied significantly, ranging between 0.181 (Nipomo F₁) and 0.343 females/female/day (White Satin F₁). Additionally, the estimated net reproductive rate (R₀) was the lowest on Nipomo F₁, and this genotype was determined to be resistant. Our results suggest that a very high density of trichomes on the leaf petioles (71.94 trichomes/cm²) could adversely affect the feeding, bionomy, and demographic parameters of hawthorn-carrot aphid on the cultivar Nipomo F₁. In addition, Napa F₁ and Kongo F₁ demonstrated high tolerance. Considering all the results collectively, four genotypes, Afro F₁, Kongo F₁, Napa F₁ and Nipomo F₁, were relatively resistant/tolerant to the hawthorn-carrot aphid.

Thrips tabaci Lind. is a global pest and also represents a serious threat to onion production in Poland. In 2 years (2015–2016) of field studies, 8 onion cultivars were evaluated to characterize the resistance to onion thrips and to determine if any biochemical and anatomical features of onion plants are associated with antixenotic and/or antibiotic mechanisms of resistance. Additionally, the influence of mechanical injury on the content of several biochemical compounds in onion leaves was made. The resistance to thrips colonization during the migration period, abundance, and thrips damage throughout the whole vegetation season was determined. We identified two cultivars, Tęcza and Wenta, resistant to thrips colonization and abundance, and one cultivar Wenta resistant to thrips damage. A positive correlation between concentrations of the reducing sugars and thrips abundance and conversely negative relationships between the total phenolic content and thrips damage was confirmed in both years. We suspect that a thinner epidermal layer, a smaller area of epidermal and mesophilic cells, and a lower diameter of vascular bundles may favor the resistance of onion cultivars to thrips. Thrips foraging resulted in a decrease in the content of soluble sugars, sucrose, and plant pigments in the leaves of all onion varieties.

Thrips tabaci Lindeman is a global pest and also represents a serious threat to onion production in Poland. In 2 years (2015–2016) of field studies, 8 onion cultivars were evaluated to characterize their susceptibility to onion thrips and to determine if leaf colour is associated with thrips preference. The actual count and the proportional abundance of adult thrips collected from onion leaves during plant colonization by insects were both used to express the preference of thrips for different onion cultivars. At the same time, the colour measurements were analysed by considering the CIELAB (CIE 1976 L*a*b*) and CIE L*C*h* colour spaces. There were distinct differences in the susceptibility of onion cultivars to colonization by onion thrips. Leaf colour coordinate values were correlated with attractiveness to thrips; typically, higher lightness (L*), yellowness (b*), chroma (C*), hue (h*), and lower redness (a*) attracted more thrips. We concluded that the vivid, intense green-yellowish leaf colour of susceptible varieties might have been the cause of the thrips preference observed. We also identified useful genotypes, Tęcza and Wenta, for host plant resistance to thrips and suggest a link between colour and antixenotic resistance. The resistant cultivars had darker, green-grey-yellowish leaves.

We determined the abundance, species composition, sex ratio and seasonal dynamics of thrips on one cultivar of Welsh onion ( Allium fistulosum ) and eight cultivars of onion ( Allium cepa ) in South Poland within three vegetation seasons (2014–2016). Nine species of Thysanoptera were identified on A. cepa and A. fistulosum . Irrespective of the onion cultivar, Thrips tabaci was the dominant species (64.4% of all collected thrips specimens), while Frankliniella intonsa also occurred in high numbers (28.3%). Conversely, Welsh onion was most often inhabited by F. intonsa (62.7%), although T. tabaci was also numerous (28.3%). The predatory Aeolothrips intermedius accounted for 4.5% on A. cepa and 2.9% on A. fistulosum . In the most numerous species, T. tabaci, F. intonsa and A. intermedius populations were formed mainly by females. The cultivar most colonised by thrips was Kroll of A. fistulosum. The tested cultivars of A. cepa demonstrated varying degrees of attractiveness to thrips in the subsequent years. The relationship between populations of T. tabaci , F. intonsa and A. intermedius changed in the subsequent months of the growing season. In June, mainly T. tabaci and F . intonsa occurred on onion plants, while from July, the percentage shares of F. intonsa and the predatory A. intermedius in the thrips population on many onion cultivars increased. The level of attractiveness of A. cepa related to onion thrips, which is reported as a main pest of onion, varies depending on the year and cultivar.