Presenter: Reb Wood
Authors: Rebekah Rowlan
Faculty Advisor: Claudia Nischwitz
Institution: Utah State University
The number of onions consumed per person has risen drastically over the last twenty years, from 12 pounds to 20 pounds. This 70% increase places onions as the fourth most consumed vegetable in the United States. As such, increased pressure is put on farmers and growers to meet this growing demand, and their ability to identify and manage bacterial diseases which cause onion bulb rots is vital. However each year, the onion industry loses over $60 million dollars as a result of damage and rot. Thrips are insects that damage economical crops, but are particularly harmful to onions and other vegetables. Thrips thrive in the warm and dry environment of Utah and can cause significant damage to entire fields. Thrips puncture plant tissue during feeding creating wounds. They also defecate on leaves and bacteria from their feces can enter these wounds. Gut bacteria from thrips have been shown to cause bacterial bulb rots in onions in some states. The objectives of this project are to identify gut bacteria from thrips collected in Utah onion fields and determine pathogenicity of bacterial isolates. Thrips were collected from five Utah onion fields during the onion growing season (June-September) and were cultured and identified by their gut bacteria. PCR was run with the 27f16s and 1492R primers. Bacterial genera identified from thrips to date have been found in rotten bulbs, indicating that Utah thrips could contribute to storage rot of onions.