Pests

Thrips — Onion

Allium cepa L.

The main pest of onion is the onion thrips Thrips tabaci, which damages leaf tissues, causing them to yellow and wither, and also inhibits bulb development.

In the reference 10 varieties crop Onion, where this is mentioned in the description.

Adults and larvae of the thrips feed on the sap of the onion epidermal cells, which leads to the appearance of whitish or silvery spots on the leaves. With severe infestation, the leaves become deformed, yellow, and wither prematurely, starting from the tip. Excrement of the pest in the form of small black dots is often found on the surface of the damaged tissues.

The pest penetrates the neck of the bulb and under the dry scales, where it continues to feed, especially at favorable storage temperatures above 18–25 °C. Damaged bulbs become wrinkled and sticky. In addition to direct damage, thrips provoke the development of secondary fungal and bacterial infections and are also vectors of iris yellow spot virus.

General information about the subject — on the page Thrips.

Sources8

Varieties of Onion mentioned in the description

Selection based on the description text, not on official evaluation: these data are absent from registers. For specific variety details, please refer to its profile.