User:Iceanjwel

Onion thrips, Thrips tabaci Lindeman is a specialist agricultural pest of onion world wide, but has also been found on cabbage, cucumber, and parsley. Overall, onion thrips has a reported host range of 40 plant families (Ananthakrisnan 1973). Onion thrips cause indirect damage to onion crops by feeding on leaves. Feeding damage causes white leaf spots which reduces photosynthetic ability thus reducing bulb size and crop yield. T. tabaci are also the only known vector of Iris Yellow-Spot Virus (IYSV), a tospovirus which causes dry lesions on leaves of onion plants. IYSV further damages onion plants and can cause complete yield loss. Adult onion thrips range in color and size. Most are light yellow to dark brown, with females 1.0-1.3mm in length and males 0.7mm. The life cycle of T. tabaci consists of an egg, first and second larval instars, pre-pupa, pupa, and adult.