Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Applied Fruit Science, cilt.68, sa.1, 2026 (SCI-Expanded, Scopus)
In recent years, avocado production in the Eastern Mediterranean Region has been steadily increasing. Symptoms resembling thrips damage have been observed on avocado fruits, prompting growers to apply insecticides under the assumption of thrips infestation. However, there is very limited information on the species composition of thrips in avocado trees in Türkiye and whether they are potentially harmful. This study was conducted in the Balcalı region of Adana province in the Eastern Mediterranean during 2021 and 2022. A significant number of thrips was collected from flowers (P < 0.05). A few individuals of Thrips tabaci Lind. (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) were also recorded on the fruits. A total of six adult thrips were collected, and no thrips larvae were detected. The most common species found were T. tabaci and T. major Uzel (Thysanoptera: Thripidae). Additionally, no other harmful insect species were recorded on the sampled avocado trees. The predatory insect species identified alongside thrips included Orius niger Wolff (Hemiptera: Anthocoridae), Oenopia conglobata (L.) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), and Chrysoperla carnea (Stephens) (Neuroptera: Chrysopidae). Although no strong association was detected between these predators and thrips populations, in 2022, when predatory coccinellids were relatively more abundant on flowers, only a few thrips individuals were recorded. No thrips damage was observed on flowers, fresh leaves, or fruits. Finally, these findings suggests that chemical control against thrips in ‘Fuerte’ trees is unnecessary in the region.