The abundance of banana flower thrips (Thrips hawaiiensis Morgan) in a banana (Musa acuminata Colla “Williams” cultivar) plantation was investigated using yellow sticky traps (29.70 cm × 21.00 cm) in 2015. Banana flower thrips occurred throughout the year with monthly variation, and the maximum occurrence was observed in October and November during the bud burst (73.80 ± 6.32 adults/trap) and young fruit (70.06 ± 5.69 adults/trap) periods. The damage rates were as follows: interior flowers >3^rd-layer flowers > 2^nd-layer flowers > 1^st-layer flowers > young fruits. This result indicates that thrips migrated to lower bracts, young fruits, and other flower buds as bracts gradually opened. Results also showed that the reducing sugar, vitamin C, protein and ash contents in thrips-damaged flowers were all significantly lower than those in undamaged flowers, while there was no significant difference between damaged and undamaged young banana fruit. Our results indicated that the abundances of banana flower thrips were closely associated with the growing stage of banana. Thrips mainly infested flower buds and caused a reduction in nutrients for the host plant, especially the reducing sugar and vitamin C contents, which reduced the nutritional quality of banana fruits and the quality of flower bud by-products of banana.

We attempted to develop an efficient management strategy against gall thrips (Gynaikothrips uzeli Zimmermann (Thysanoptera: Phlaeothripidae)) via the combined application of a systemic insecticide (imidacloprid) and an entomopathogenic fungus (Lecanicillium lecanii Zimmerman (Hypocreales: Clavicipitaceae)). The attraction of G. uzeli to Ficus microcarpa volatiles after imidacloprid treatment was weaker than for untreated plants, which could be due to modulation of volatile metabolite profiles by imidacloprid. The toxicity of L. lecanii against nymph and adult thrips was much higher for those that fed on plants treated with a 50% lethal concentration (LC₅₀) of imidacloprid than for the controls. Phenoloxidase (PO) activity was significantly inhibited in treated G. uzeli, while hemocyte abundances were not different in treated and healthy individuals. Thus, imidacloprid impacted the PO-related humoral immunity of G. uzeli, but not their cellular immunity. Overall, F. microcarpa treated with imidacloprid at LC₅₀ concentrations exhibited volatile profiles that decreased the attraction of G. uzeli and also indirectly increased the pathogenicity of L. lecanni by inhibiting the humoral immunity of gall thrips. The results reported here suggest that combined application of imidacloprid and L. lecanii could be used as a new integrated control strategy against gall thrips.

A severe leaf spot disease was observed on pineapple (Ananas comosus) in Fujian Province of China in July 2014. A fungus was isolated from diseased leaves showing typical symptoms of leaf spot. The pathogenicity of the isolated fungus was tested and Koch’s postulates were confirmed by re-isolation of the fungus from artificially inoculated leaves. On the basis of morphological characteristics and sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) and glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GPD) regions, the pathogen was identified as Curvularia clavata Jain. This is the first report of leaf spot of pineapple caused by C. clavata in China.

Cymbidium ensifolium is an important cultivated herb in southern China. A severe stem rot disease was observed on C. ensifolium in Fujian Province, China, in April 2016. Initially, the junction of the stem and root turned dark black, and the bottom leaves turned yellow. Subsequently, the leaf base began to rot and the stem turned brown and the entire stem became necrotic. A fungus was isolated from diseased stems with typical symptoms of stem rot. The pathogenicity of the isolated fungus was tested with successful infection of inoculated C. ensifolium plants. Koch’s postulates were confirmed by reisolation of the fungus from the infected tissue on artificially inoculated stems. Based on morphological characteristics and sequence analysis of the internal transcribed spacer and actin genes, the pathogen was identified as Fusarium oxysporum. This is the first report of F. oxysporum causing stem rot in C. ensifolium.