PRELIMINARY STUDIES ON THE RELEASE OF THE PREDATORY MITE PHYTOSE1ULUS MACROPIL1S (BANKS) ON STRAWBERRY PLANTS TO CONTROL TETRANYCHUS URTICAE KOCH (ACARI: TETRANYCHIDAE-PHYTOSEIIDAE).

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Plant Protection Research Institute, Agricultural Research Centre, Dokki, Giza, Egypt

Abstract

in a field study, the predatory mite, Phytoseiulus macropilis (Banks) was released two, four and six times at a rate of 10 individuals/ bit to control the two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch in about 175 m2 of a commercial strawberry field at El-Oalyobia Governo­rate. The spider mite population was reduced at all numbers of predator release; the decrease had a positive relationship with number of releas­es. The mite reduction was slightly few after the first release but in­creased gradually after every predator release. It averaged 41, 48 and 35% in the first post-count, but reached 92, 95 and 97% in the last in­spection in treatments that received two, four and six releases, respec­tively. It could be advisable to release this predator species when T.urticae population is at a low density to allow a suitable chance for the predator to play its role successfully. The associated weeds (mainly blackberry) seemed to be important as a good shelter for the predator, from which it could disperse to adjacent plants or next crop.

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