Department of Agricultural Entomology, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, 641 003
*E-mail: gajalakshmiagri@gmail.com
Online published on 2 September, 2015.
The two spotted spider mite (TSSM) Tetranychus urticae Koch is a serious pest injurious to many crops. The predatory mite Amblyseius longispinosus (Evans) was explored as a potential biocontrol agent against T. urticae in many polyhouse experiments. An attempt has been made to determine the functional and ovipositional responses of, A. longispinosus under laboratory condition at temperatures ranging from 20 to 35ºC. Functional response revealed that the handling time (Th) of the prey by the predators generally decreased with temperature, whereas successful attack rate (a) was almost uniform. Judging by a/Th values, A. longispinosus was most efficient against T. urticae at 30 and 35°C. The rate of oviposition of the predator increased linearly with prey density, and the number of eggs laid increased linearly with the number of prey consumed. The potential of A. longispinosus as a biocontrol agent against T. urticae is discussed.
Amblyseius longispinosus, Tetranychus urticae, response-functional, ovipositional, biocontrol and temperature
