The population growth of the tomato russet mite, Aculops lycopersici (Massee), and its effect on tomato plants were studied in glasshouses. The population increased exponentially for six weeks after infestation. The intrinsic rate of natural increase was estimated to be 0.175 per day. At seven weeks after infestation, the predator,
Thirty-seven accessions from six species belonging to the genus Lycopersicon were tested for susceptibility to the tomato russet mite, Aculops lycopersici. Significant differences in damage index, but not in mite density, were found among cultivars of tomato, L. esculentum var. esculentum; the damage index of Hawaii 7996 was significantly lower than that of Jupiri and Ponderoza, and the damage index of Yellow-Piko was lower than that of Jupiri. When compared among species, mite densities and damage indices of wild Lycopersicon species were significantly lower than those of tomato cultivars. In particular, mite densities on 82000F of L. pennellii and PI127827 of L. hirsutum were very low (Ͻ2/leaflet). The damage indices of these accessions were also significantly lower than those of tomato cultivars. These resistant accessions can be important resources for breeding a tomato variety resistant to the tomato russet mite.
The distribution pattern of Aculops lycopersici (Massee) in a tomato leaf and method for estimating the density of the mite were examined. The distribution pattern of adults and nymphs was similar. About a half number of mite population infested leaflets and the other half petioles. Most of the mites infested the upper surface of the leaves. On petioles, the density of the mite was high at the posterior part. Mite numbers were large on leaflets near the stem. The percentage of the number of mite population on each part of the leaflet to the total number on whole leaf did not vary irrespective of the population density. On leaflets, the mite density was higher in the middle than periphery and also higher at the bottom than the top. However, the density became uniform in the leaflet when the density became high. From the distribution data obtained, a method for estimating the densities of mite population on whole leaf was proposed, i.e. mite numbers on the second and third leaflets and several parts of the petiole were counted.
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