Abstract
Southern red mite, Oligonychus ilicis McGregor (Acari: Tetranychidae), is an important polyphagous spider mite pest that causes economic damage to many ornamentals, coffee, and fruit crops. Blueberry growers in the Southeastern United States, including Florida and Georgia, have experienced severe losses due to outbreaks of O. ilicis. Predatory mites are an important management tool used for controlling spider mites; however, predators have not been studied and successfully evaluated in blueberry systems. Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot, Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot, and Neoseiulus californicus (McGregor) (Acari: Phytoseiidae) are among the most economically important arthropod agents used in augmentative biological control worldwide. To evaluate the potential of these 3 commercially available predatory mites for use in blueberry plantings, we conducted experiments under controlled laboratory conditions and in the greenhouse. In preliminary laboratory experiments, P. persimilis and N. californicus significantly reduced the number of O. ilicis motile stages below those found in the untreated control, indicating the potential for these 2 predatory mite species to suppress O. ilicis populations. Amblyseius swirskii did not perform well controlling O. ilicis motiles in the laboratory. Under greenhouse conditions, N. californicus and P. persimilis significantly reduced the number of eggs after 7 days of release and the number of motile stages after 14 days of release. This is the first report of using phytoseiid mites to suppress O. ilicis in blueberry systems in the United States. Further studies on predator behavior, feeding preferences, and acaricide compatibility with predators are required to investigate the possibility of using P. persimilis, and N. californicus as biological control agents of O. ilicis in blueberry systems.
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Claims 7
Claim · model-written summary
P. persimilis reduced O. ilicis motile stages in laboratory tests versus untreated control.
- Taxon
- blueberryt0
- Treatment
- P. persimilise0
- Interactor
- O. ilicis
Oligonychus ilicise0pest - Second interactor
- P. persimilis
Phytoseiulus persimilise0biocontrol_agent - Outcome
- number of O. ilicis motile stagese0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Comparator
- untreated controle0
- Setting
- laboratory experimentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In preliminary laboratory experiments, P. persimilis and N. californicus significantly reduced the number of O. ilicis motile stages below those found in the untreated control”
t0“blueberry”
Claim · model-written summary
N. californicus reduced O. ilicis motile stages in laboratory tests versus untreated control.
- Taxon
- blueberryt0
- Treatment
- N. californicuse0
- Interactor
- O. ilicisOligonychus ilicise0pest
- Second interactor
- N. californicus
Neoseiulus californicuse0biocontrol_agent - Outcome
- number of O. ilicis motile stagese0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Comparator
- untreated controle0
- Setting
- laboratory experimentse0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In preliminary laboratory experiments, P. persimilis and N. californicus significantly reduced the number of O. ilicis motile stages below those found in the untreated control”
t0“blueberry”
Claim · model-written summary
Amblyseius swirskii performed poorly against O. ilicis motiles in the laboratory.
- Taxon
- blueberryt0
- Treatment
- Amblyseius swirskiie0
- Interactor
- O. ilicisOligonychus ilicise0pest
- Second interactor
- Amblyseius swirskii
Amblyseius swirskiie0biocontrol_agent - Outcome
- O. ilicis motilese0
- Direction
- did not perform welle0
- Setting
- laboratorye0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Amblyseius swirskii did not perform well controlling O. ilicis motiles in the laboratory”
t0“blueberry”
Claim · model-written summary
N. californicus reduced O. ilicis eggs seven days after greenhouse release.
- Taxon
- blueberryt0
- Treatment
- N. californicuse0
- Interactor
- P. persimilisPhytoseiulus persimilise0biocontrol_agent
- Outcome
- number of eggse0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Qualifier
- after 7 days of releasee0
- Setting
- greenhouse conditionse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Under greenhouse conditions, N. californicus and P. persimilis significantly reduced the number of eggs after 7 days of release”
t0“blueberry”
Claim · model-written summary
P. persimilis reduced O. ilicis eggs seven days after greenhouse release.
- Taxon
- blueberryt0
- Treatment
- P. persimilise0
- Interactor
- P. persimilisPhytoseiulus persimilise0biocontrol_agent
- Outcome
- number of eggse0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Qualifier
- after 7 days of releasee0
- Setting
- greenhouse conditionse0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“Under greenhouse conditions, N. californicus and P. persimilis significantly reduced the number of eggs after 7 days of release”
t0“blueberry”
Claim · model-written summary
N. californicus reduced motile stages 14 days after greenhouse release.
- Taxon
- blueberryt0
- Treatment
- N. californicuse0
- Interactor
- N. californicusNeoseiulus californicuse0biocontrol_agent
- Outcome
- number of motile stagese0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Qualifier
- after 14 days of releasee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“N. californicus and P. persimilis significantly reduced the number of eggs after 7 days of release and the number of motile stages after 14 days of release”
t0“blueberry”
Claim · model-written summary
P. persimilis reduced motile stages 14 days after greenhouse release.
- Taxon
- blueberryt0
- Treatment
- P. persimilise0
- Interactor
- P. persimilisPhytoseiulus persimilise0biocontrol_agent
- Outcome
- number of motile stagese0
- Direction
- reducede0
- Qualifier
- after 14 days of releasee0
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“N. californicus and P. persimilis significantly reduced the number of eggs after 7 days of release and the number of motile stages after 14 days of release”
t0“blueberry”