Biorational and conventional insecticides efficacy to control thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis Perg.) on strawberries (Fragariaananassa Duch.) at Morelos state, Mexico

Objective: To evaluate the insecticidal effectiveness of biorational and conventional products as alternatives to control thrips and their phytotoxic effects in strawberry cultivation.Design/methodology/approach: The research was carried out in strawberry cv. Camino Real during its f lowering stage - fruiting established in open ground; A completely randomized experimental design with seven treatments and four replications was used. The treatments evaluated were: T1: neem oil extract, T2: paraffin oil, T3: garlic extract  hot chili pepper  cinnamon, T4: spinosad, T5: imidacloprid  lambda cyhalothrin, T6: bifenthrin, and T7: control. Applications were made weekly and the mortality evaluation was carried out by counting the number of live thrips per f lower. With the obtained data, an analysis of variances and a mean comparison test (Tukey, p0.05) were performed. Results: Significant differences between treatments could be identified (p0.05); imidacloprid  lambda cyhalothrin and bifenthrin caused the highest mortality of thrips with 92 and 93% efficacy, respectively. Spinosad obtained good results, ranking as the second-best option with 90% control efficiencies; neem extract stood out as an excellent biorational pest management alternative with 77% control efficacy in its last evaluation. No phytotoxic effects were observed from any of the treatments on the crop.Limitations on study/implications: It is important to continue the study in the laboratory to obtain the LD50 and LD90 of the management alternatives, as well as an MRL analysis of the molecules used.Findings/conclusions: The proposed protocol evidenced the efficacy of biorational and ecological thrips control treatments in intensive horticultural systems.