Original article-Thematic Issue and Heide, 2009; Sonsteby and Nes, 1998), however the information generated does not have immediate practical significance for growers. In this trial the benefit of reducing chill prior to planting for tray plants of 'Verity' is demonstrated. Materials and methods On 19 th August 2015 tray plants of 'Verity' were propagated using fresh cuttings planted in 250 cc standard 9-hole trays. A mix of 100% blonde peat was amended with 2.5 kg m-3 Osmocote Bloom ® (cuttings were immediately covered with a white plastic film until adequately rooted). Plants were split up into five groups which each received 0, 250, 500 or 1,000 chill hours (hours below 7°C). Plants remained in the nursery under natural field conditions until the nominated number of chill hours was reached. When the individual groups had received adequate chill exposure, they were transferred to a heated glasshouse with a minimum set point of 8°C where they remained until two weeks before planting (on 19 th April 2016). Control plants (frigo tray [250 cc] plants) were stored at-1.5°C from December until planting. They received a total of 3,360 chill hours. All plants were planted on raised beds in the soil (plant density 3.25 plants

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Flower inhabiting thrips (Order: Thysanoptera) are a major threat to fruit quality in strawberry production around the world. As chemical control is often inefficient, alternative control measures are of broad and current interest. Their fast reproduction makes predatory mites highly suitable for thrips control in a crop with a relatively short cropping season like strawberry. However, climatic conditions of strawberry production can differ strongly depending on the production system (glasshouse, plastic tunnel, open field, …) and the time span of cultivation (depending mostly on planting date and the type of cultivar: summer-or everbearing). As predatory mites typically display a temperature-dependent life history and the current commercially available thrips predating phytoseids vary in geographic origin , one can assume that under certain climatic conditions some species will be more applicable than others. The goal of this study is to determine which species are suitable for which climatic conditions. Therefore all (Belgian) production systems and time spans are categorized into three climate types, simulated in the laboratory. The population build-up of seven predatory mite species (A. degenerans, A. montdorensis, A. andersoni, A. limonicus, A. swirskii, N. cucumeris and E. gallicus) were assessed for each of these climatic conditions. Under the coldest condition (A), the in West-Europe indigenous E. gallicus was the only species with a significant population build up. When moderate conditions (B) were simulated E. gallicus, N. cucumeris and A. limonicus were most successful. The warmest regime (C) was most adequate for E. gallicus and A. swirskii.

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