Pests of Field Crops in Southern Africa

ONIONS

(Allium spp., Alliaceae)
Text Box: See general section. Damage by Liriomyza spp., has been recorded in onions, as in most other vegetable crops. However, since the leaves are not in this case the edible part of the crop, the pest population would be better left to come under natural control than to attempt chemical control, which is costly and difficult. TOP Text Box: The onion thrips, Thrips tabaci, has largely been described in the general section. As mentioned it has a very wide host range, but is capable in certain conditions of doing serious damage to onions, where it feeds on the leaves. Symptoms include silvering and flecking and, in heavy attacks, death of leaf tips or even wilting of young plants. The waxy, upright leaves may be difficult to spray, and for this reason systemic granular treatments to the soil may be the preferred remedy. TOP

Liriomyza Leafminer

Onion Thrips

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Onion Thrips

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Liriomyza Leafminer

Adult onion thrips. (Photo: A N Sparks Jnr. Univ. Georgia. Bugwood.org)

Thrip damage to onions. (Photo: W Cranshaw, Colorado State Univ. Bugwood.org)