Mite species of kiwi vines in Türkiye

Abstract

Kiwifruit, Actinidia deliciosa (A. Chev.) C. F. Liang and A. R. Ferguson, is a deciduous vine or shrub in the family Actiniaceae grown for its edible fruit. Türkiye is one of the countries that started kiwi cultivation late. However, with the increase in newly established and productive gardens, it is among the most important countries in the world for kiwi production. The study was carried out to determine leaf-inhabiting mite species in kiwi vines in Türkiye from 2018 to 2022. Surveys were conducted in seven sampling areas in the Ordu, Black Sea Region, Türkiye where the kiwi is cultivated. Leaf samples were collected at 10–15-day intervals from June to November each sampling year. The number of sampled plants per site was determined according to the total number of plants in each kiwi vine. Approximately, 20 leaves from each plant were collected on each sampling date. A total of 24 mite species belonging to 2 orders, 8 families and 15 genera including Phytoseiidae (10 species), Tydeidae (5), Tenuipalpidae (3), Tarsonemidae (2), Cheyletidae (1), Iolinidae (1), Stigmaeidae (1) and Tetranychidae (1) were identified during the study, The results revealed that Ordu's kiwifruit vines are highly abundant in beneficial mite species. The limited use of pesticides in the area may account for this.