Economic Injury Levels of Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari, Tetranychidae) Infesting Eggplant in Greenhouse

Abstract

Economic injury levels (EILs) and economic threshold (ET) were estimated for the two spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari, Tetranychidae) on greenhouse eggplants. T. urticae density increased until the mid-July and thereafter decreased in all plots where initial density of the mite were different each 0, 2, 5, 10 and 20 adults per plant was innoculated on June 7. Growth variables of were not different among experimental plots but fruit weights were lower in plots with higher initial mite density than in plots with lower initial mite density. Total number of fruits and the number of marketable fruits decreased in plots with higher initial mite density. The rates of yield loss increased with increasing initial mite density, resulting in 0, 3.9, 11.3, 14.5, 22.8% reduction in each of the above plots, respectively. The relationship between initial T. urticae densities and yield losses was well described by a linear regression, Y = 1.085X + 2.474, R 2 = 0.9659. Based on the relationship, the number of adults per plant which can cause 5% loss of yield was estimated to be approximately 1.8.