Population Performance of Thrips palmi (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) on Cucumber Infected with a Mosaic Virus

Abstract

Densities of larval, adult, and total populations of melon thrips, Thrips palmi Karny, a nonvector, were significantly higher on leaves of cucumber infected with watermelon mosaic virus 1 than on healthy cucumber leaves. Diseased leaves were also significantly smaller and contained lower levels of nitrogen than healthy leaves. Possible mechanisms affecting the thrips population differences between infected and healthy plants are discussed.