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Potential of the predatory mite Amblydromalus zannoui to control pest mites on Jatropha curcas

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Abstract

Amblydromalus zannoui Sourassou, Sarmento and Moraes is a phytoseiid mite of the limonicus group described from central Brazil from leaves of physic nut, Jatropha curcas L. (Malpighiales: Euphorbiaceae), a plant potentially useful as a source of biofuel. This plant is often attacked by the mites Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Banks) (Prostigmata: Tarsonemidae) and Tetranychus bastosi Tuttle, Baker and Sales (Prostigmata: Tetranychidae). The objectives of this work were to evaluate the predation rate of A. zannoui on those phytophagous mites, to assess its life cycle on these prey and on pollen of Ricinus communis L. (Euphorbiaceae), and to determine its attraction to physic nut leaves infested by P. latus or T. bastosi. Amblydromalus zannoui attacked more nymphs and adults than eggs of P. latus, and more eggs and larvae than adults of T. bastosi. The life table parameters suggest that A. zannoui performs better on P. latus (rm: 0.20, Ro: 18.77; λ: 1.23) and pollen (rm: 0.18, Ro: 23.32, λ: 1.18). The predator seems to be attracted to plants with P. latus, but attraction was not clear cut for plants with T. bastosi. The results suggested that A. zannoui is a potential control agent to be used against P. latus on physic nut plants, and that R. communis pollen can be used as supplementary food to maintain the predator population in the absence of prey.

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Acknowledgements

This study was financed in part by the Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior - Brazil (CAPES-PROCAD-AMAZÔNIA). We thank the National Council for Scientific and Technological Development (Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico – CNPq – Project: 306652/2018-8) for financially supporting this research.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Federal University of Tocantins (UFT), PO BOX 66, Gurupi, Tocantins, Brazil

    Valdirene Coutinho Miranda, Emiliano Brandão de Azevedo, Wilton Pires da Cruz, Marçal Pedro-Neto & Renato Almeida Sarmento

  2. Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Jaboticabal, São Paulo, 14884-900, Brazil

    Emiliano Brandão de Azevedo, Sofía Jiménez Jorge & Raphael de Campos Castilho

  3. CBGP, Montpellier SupAgro, INRA, CIRAD, IRD, Univ. Montpellier, Campus International de Baillarguet, CS 30016, 34988, Montpellier, Montferrier-sur-Lez-sur-Lez cedex, France

    Marie-Stéphane Tixier

  4. Departamento de Entomologia, Fitopatologia E Zoologia Agrícola, ESALQ-USP, Piracicaba, Sao Paulo, 13418-900, Brazil

    Gilberto José de Moraes

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  1. Valdirene Coutinho Miranda
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  2. Emiliano Brandão de Azevedo
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  6. Raphael de Campos Castilho
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  8. Gilberto José de Moraes
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  9. Renato Almeida Sarmento
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Correspondence to Renato Almeida Sarmento.

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Miranda, V.C., de Azevedo, E.B., da Cruz, W.P. et al. Potential of the predatory mite Amblydromalus zannoui to control pest mites on Jatropha curcas. BioControl 66, 487–496 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10526-021-10080-z

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