Compatibility of two predator species for biological control of the two-spotted spider mite

Abstract

Because predators may interfere with each other, an important step towards the implementation of successful release of multiple predators in biocontrol programs requires resolving how predators respond to the presence of heterospecific competitors. Several species of predatory mites are important biocontrol agents and the species Phytoseiulus macropilis and Neoseiulus californicus are used to control the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae, an important pest in agriculture worldwide. We investigated their compatibility showing that the two predators do not avoid plants on which the other species is present together with their common prey, and demonstrated that their oviposition rates are not affected by the presence of the other species. However, the distribution of the eggs on leaf discs was affected by the presence of the heterospecific predator. This behaviour might weaken possible interference between these two biocontrol agents, which, in turn, may enable their persistence on plants and favour pest suppression. The increased joint use of several natural enemies for biological control highlights the importance of studies on predator-predator interactions.

Mechanisms and management of acaricide resistance for Tetranychus urticae in agroecosystems

“…Intrinsic factors refer to inherent biological traits of T. urticae such as fecundity, fertility, duration of oviposition period, longevity and growth rate, survivorship, and sex ratio. Extrinsic factors are external factors that directly or indirectly alter the mite's physiology and fitness such as temperature (Riahi et al 2013), humidity (Duso et al 2004;James et al 2001), predation, disease, intra-/interspecific competition (Fonseca et al 2020), xenobiotics, host plants, and soil conditions (Helle and Sabelis 1985;Hoy 2016).…”

Análise bibliométrica sobre o controle biológico de ácaros da família tetranychidae

“…Duas das espécies de ácaros predadores encontradas neste levantamento, P. macropilis (Banks) e N. californicus (McGregor) (Acari: Phytoseiidae), já são produzidos comercialmente para o controle de T. urticae (Fonseca, et al, 2020) e, além disso, ainda podem ser liberados combinados como estratégia de controle, pois, P. macropilis é um predador especialista de espécies de Tetranychus (Mcmurtry & Croft, 1997) e N. californicus tem uma dieta mais ampla, alimentando-se de várias espécies de pragas e tipos de pólen (Croft, et al, 1998;Gerson, et al, 2003) e ainda ocorrem naturalmente em extensas regiões do Brasil em várias culturas e na vegetação espontânea. Em relação aos ácaros predados, T. urticae foi a espécie mais predada, sendo objeto de estudo em 14 de todos os trabalhos (Figura 3).…”

Lethal and sublethal effects of carlina oxide on Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae) and Neoseiulus californicus (Acari: Phytoseiidae)

“…The four toxicity categories proposed by the International Organization for Biological Control for natural enemies, like those applied for T. urticae, were adopted for N. californicus considering Abbott 63 corrected mortality: 1 = harmless (<30% mortality), 2 = slightly harmful (30%-79% mortality), 3 = moderately harmful (80%-99% mortality) and 4 = harmful (>99% mortality). 66 2.6 Y-tube olfactometer bioassays on N. californicus adults 2.6.1 Y-tube apparatus To evaluate the potential attraction or repellency activity of carlina oxide on adult females of N. californicus, two-choice tests were performed in a Y-tube olfactometer as used by Canale et al 67 and described in the Supplementary Information; the method of Fonseca et al 68 with slight modifications was followed. Two different behavioral assays were carried out on N. californicus females: A, preliminary test on filter paper (50 replicates/dose); and B, spraying on a bean leaf disk and performing the test 15 min and 48 h after spraying (30 replicates/dose).…”