Common garden flower can tip the scales against thrips

"Thrips can cause significant damage and yield losses either by direct damage, such as feeding marks on the crop, or by indirect damage through acting as a virus vector, spreading viruses from one plant to the next," says Emile de Groot, product innovation & technical development manager at Koppert South Africa. "Most crops in general will be affected by thrips either directly damaging leaves, flowers and fruit or carrying over viruses."

An inexpensive option within easy reach of vegetable growers is the humble sweet alyssum or Lobularia maritima, itself an edible member of the Brassicaceae family. "The use of Lobularia in integrated pest management (IPM) programmes locally is very new and not often seen," De Groot remarks. "However, in Europe it is much more of a common practice."

Read the full article in Fresh Plaza: https://www.freshplaza.com/north-america/article/9855160/common-garden-flower-can-tip-the-scales-against-thrips/