Thrips

Green Production Technology Innovation Team, Tea Research Institute, Yunnan Academy of Agricultural Sciences / Xishuangbanna Comprehensive Test Station, National Tea Industry Technology System Mycterothrips gongshanensis, a new pest on tea plants, belongs to the order Insecta, family Thysanoptera, genus Thripidae, and species Mycterothrips. It is a cryptic bud and leaf pest that has been widely occurring in tea gardens in Yunnan province in recent years, with increasingly severe damage. I. Distribution and Damage Mycterothrips gongshanensis is prevalent in tea-growing areas of Yunnan, causing outbreaks in some tea gardens. The adult and nymph stages hide in the crevices between buds and leaves or at the tips and edges of the first leaf below the bud, feeding on the sap of young shoots and tender buds. Initially, the tips and edges of the affected leaves show yellow spots, which then gradually develop into brown patches. The buds and leaves become deformed and curled, the internodes shorten, and their growth slows down. Severe cases result in the easy detachment of leaves upon slight touch, leading to leaf fall and bare shoots, significantly affecting tea yield and quality, and potentially causing substantial economic losses in summer and autumn tea production. Damage caused by Mycterothrips…