ELSEWHERE IN THE NEWS 



cro encapsulation/ slow release 

 technology developed for phero- 

 mone trap and lure applications, 

 biosys is a developer of biological 

 pesticide products. 



The acquisition was expected to 

 be completed by mid-March and in- 

 cludes the Agrisense European sub- 

 sidiary, Biological Control 

 Systems. 



Seedless Cucumber 

 Resists Powdery Mildew 



(from Greenhouse Manager, 

 February, 1993) 



Leen de Mos B.V. in Gravenzande, 

 the Netherlands, has developed a 

 powdery mildew-tolerant green- 

 house cucumber suitable for early 

 cropping under low-light conditions 

 without suffering necrosis or dimin- 

 ished production. 



Marketed as 'Flamingo,' the F-1 

 hybrid seedless cucumber is a 

 strong grower, producing an early 

 yield and a continuous crop. The 

 fruits have a long shelf life. 



For more: Leen de Mos B.V., PO 

 Box 54, 2690 ABS, Gravenzande, the 

 Netherlands; (31) 1748- 



Thrips Research at UVM 



(from GrowerTalks, March 1993) 



As University of Vermont entomolo- 

 gists searched for methods to control 

 the pear thrips decimating New 

 England's maple sugar groves in the 

 late 1980s, they unearthed some pos- 

 sibilities on the forest floor. Soil un- 

 derneath the maple trees contained 

 pink thrips larvae as well as white 

 thrips mummies, suggesting fugal 

 parasitism. Entomologists Bruce 

 Parker and Margaret Skinner isolated 

 the causal fungus and had it identi- 

 fied as Verticillium lecanii — a fungus 

 which has been marketed in Europe 

 as a whitefly and aphid control and 

 which also infects thrips. 



Bruce, Margaret, and insect pa- 

 thologist Michael Brownbridge are 

 now testing Verticillium lecanii and 

 three other fungal isolates from the 

 forest floor as potential controls for 



three greenhouse pests: western 

 flower thrips, sweet potato white 

 fly, and green peach aphid. Their 

 work is partially funded by the 

 American Floral Endowment, Ohio 

 Florists Foundation, and the U.S. 

 Department of Agriculture. 



Testing involves raising the 

 pests in even-aged populations on 

 bean leaves. (A standard age is 

 important in determining life stage 

 susceptibility.) Michael is produc- 

 ing the fungal innoculants on artifi- 

 cial media, screening them to 

 identify effective strains and expos- 

 ing the insects to different concen- 

 trations. He's also testing fungal 

 longevity in different potting soils. 



The University of Vermont in Bur- 

 lington is also the site of the In- 

 ternational Conference on Thysan- 

 optera, September 28-30. Sessions 

 will focus on the biology, distribu- 

 tion, population dynamics, ecology, 

 and management of thrips. For 

 more information, contact Bruce 

 Parker at (802) 658-4453. i*- 



April & May 1993 

 13 



