Abstract
Control of Yellow Tea Thrips, Scirtothrips dorsalis by reflective sheet (RS) was examined in a satsuma mandarin (Citrus unshiu MARC.) orchard in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan in 1992 and 1993. The diffuse reflectance of RS at 290nm to 800nm was 84%-94%. RS was fully mulched on the ground in three orchards in the growing season. The percentage of ground occupancy by satsuma mandarin trees was 54.4%-60.5% and the mulching period was 4-7 months before harvest. Throughout the mulched period, the number of trapped thrips and the percentage of fruits infested by the thrips were continuously lower than EIL and the fruit damage at the harvest time was low enough for high market quality. Conversely, heavy infestation and fruit damage were observed without RS. This suggests that RS mulching is a practical control measure for Yellow Tea Thrips.
