Over 4 tons of arugula from Serbia will have to be destroyed because of the most harmful thrips

Arugula is an annual cruciferous crop that is increasingly grown in Serbia for fresh consumption and for export, including to Russia. However, successful agribusiness is being harmed by a tiny insect that dominates the thrips species in terms of its invasive and destructive abilities. Consumers appreciate arugula for its spicy flavor, used as greens for salad mixes, boiled as a side dish, and now it is very popular as a pizza topping. While in Russia there are a few commercial production of arugula, in Serbia the crop production is well established, complex plant protection is used (since exports go to the internal European market with high biosecurity standards), but one type of thrips spoils the whole picture. Thrips (order Thysanoptera) are tiny insects only a few millimeters long or less. Of the approximately 5,500 described species of thrips in the world, barely 1% are considered serious pests of cash crops, with the western California flower thrips (Frankliniella ...