Swirski Mite Controlled-release Sachets as a Pest Management Tool in Container Tree Production

Abstract

<jats:p>Adoption of biological control tools in woody ornamental nursery production has lagged behind other agriculture fields. One of the major obstacles to adoption is lack of information on the efficacy of various biological control agents in nursery production systems. The predatory mite <jats:italic>Amblyseius swirskii</jats:italic>, sold commercially as “swirski mite,” is a generalist predatory mite that has recently been adopted as a generalist control for a wide range of mite and insect pests, including thrips (Thripidae), whiteflies (Aleyrodidae), eriophyid mites (Eriophyidae), broad mite (<jats:italic>Polyphagotarsonemus latus</jats:italic>), and spider mites (Tetranychidae). A controlled-release sachet formulation of swirski mite was evaluated in three experiments to determine whether size of the tree, timing of first application, or sun intensity would affect treatment efficacy. Pest numbers on plants was evaluated biweekly for 12 weeks. The swirski mite sachets controlled broad mite and spider mite outbreaks on red maple trees (<jats:italic>Acer rubrum</jats:italic>) grown in nos. 3 and 15 nursery containers, respectively. Application at the time of red maple rooted cutting transplant was not necessary to achieve summer-long control of pests. No outbreaks of target pests on flowering dogwood (<jats:italic>Cornus florida</jats:italic>) in no. 5 containers grown under both full sun and shade, but with low levels of broad mite persisting in the shade treatment and thrips persisting in sun. These results suggest that swirski mite is a promising candidate for biological control in woody ornamental nursery production.</jats:p>

Effect of Relative Humidity on the Population Dynamics of the Predator Amblyseius swirskii and Its Prey Carpoglyphus lactis in the Context of Slow-Release Sachets for Use in Biological Control in Greenhouses

“…However, our results suggest that the fluctuation in the microclimate inside these confined spaces differently affects the species of mites coexisting inside them, which have different biological and/or reproductive responses to the variation in humidity. Notably, the complex dynamics of the predator–prey system inside sachets depend on the interaction of moisture with other variables, such as the quantity and quality of the prey food, the moisture retention capacity of the substrate, the spatial complexity of the substrate, the interference of congeners [ 12 , 13 , 34 ], the porosity of the paper and other materials that constitute the walls of the sachet, the development of fungi in the carrier substrate, and the location of the sachets in the field [ 38 , 39 ].…”

Impact of Cover Cropping on Non-Target Arthropod Pests of Red Maple Trees in Nursery Production

“…During Jul 2016 and 2017, 2 leaves per plant were collected in tubes containing 70% ethanol and leaves were examined for presence of spider mites under a dissecting microscope. Spider mite population peaks on maples have been observed previously during Jul in Tennessee, so Jul was selected for mite surveys (Addesso et al 2018b). The first fully expanded leaf from each of 2 branches was evaluated for mites.…”