Population growth rate of dry bulb mite, Aceria tulipae (Acariformes: Eriophyidae), on agriculturally important plants and implications for its taxonomic status

Abstract

Dry bulb mite (DBM), Aceria tulipae, is an economically important mite with a worldwide distribution and a broad host range. As a generalist, it is the most important eriophyoid mite attacking bulbous plants such as garlic, onion and tulip. To date, DBM has been recorded on host plants belonging to the families Liliaceae, Amaryllidaceae, Melanthiaceae and Asparagaceae. However, a precise understanding of DBM host range is lacking as it is largely based on casual records of mites on plants, some of which may include accidental hosts. Moreover, the possible existence of cryptic species has not been considered. In this study the hypothesis that DBM may be a complex of distinct genetic lineages or cryptic species was tested by comparing the common barcode sequence marker mtDNA COI of specimens from several populations originating from the Netherlands and Poland. The population growth rate of DBM on seven agriculturally important plant species and on various parts of the garlic plant was also experimentally assessed in the laboratory. The results did not support the first hypothesis, and indicated that DBM populations originating from Poland and the Netherlands shared essentially the same genome. In addition, they indicated that DBM reached the highest population growth rate on leek and also displayed high growth rates on garlic, chive and red onion, whereas white onion and wheat were not colonized by the mites. Answering the question of whether DBM is a single polyphagous species rather than a complex of cryptic lineages is of particular importance since the misidentification of pests may lead to ineffective control strategies. Moreover, improved knowledge of DBM host range is essential for assessing risk to crops.

An Intimate Relationship Between Eriophyoid Mites and Their Host Plants – A Review

“…Development is optimal at 25°C but eggs can survive at quite large temperature regimes (6–45°C) (Courtin et al, 2000) with clear implications for crop damage. Host range of A. tulipae has been recently explored due to its importance for risk assessment and control (Kiedrowicz et al, 2017). A large variation in mite susceptibility among garlic varieties has been reported and the choice of resistant varieties has dramatically reduced A. tulipae infestation (Sapakova et al, 2015).…”

A novel experimental approach for studying life-history traits of phytophagous arthropods utilizing an artificial culture medium

“…Due to their economic importance, eriophyid mites are subjects of various ecological studies investigating mite characteristics that can be useful in predicting their distribution and outbreaks but these are often conducted using cohorts of specimens infesting whole plants 21,23,71 . However, due to their minute size, eriophyids can be difficult to detect and monitor when reared on whole plants.…”

Genetics of lineage diversification and the evolution of host usage in the economically important wheat curl mite, Aceria tosichella Keifer, 1969

“…[ 78 , 79 ]); (ii) it is relatively easy to obtain from even scarce DNA amount extracted out of as little as one specimen [ 80 ]; (iii) its resolution is high enough to work on genus, species and population level [ 80 ]; (iv) there are known closely related Aceria species that do not exhibit such a high variation in COI as WCM, i.e. A. tulipae [ 81 ], and this supports notion that the variation seen in WCM is related to their overall genetic divergence, and that WCM is not a single evolutionary unit.…”