Occurrence of major mite species and their biocontrol agents on soybean Glycine max crop

Abstract EN

This study conducted to incidence and determined the levels of infestation of phytophagous mites and its predators associated with soybean.

There were five species belonging to three families were determined in total collected samples can be classified according to their feeding habitats to two major groups i.e.

phytophagous mites represented by two species, Tetranychus urticae Koch and Oligonychus pratensis (Banks) (Acari: Tetranychidae) and predaceous mites represented by three species, Euseius scutalis (Athias-Henriot) (Acari: Phytoseiidae), Agistemus exsertus Gonzalez (Acari: Stigmaeidae) and Typhlodromus pyri Scheuten (Acari: Phytoseiidae) .

Frequency of occurrence for mite species associated with soybean were determined.

The most distributed species was T.

urticae followed by E.

scutalis, A.

exsertus, T.

pyri while, O.

pratensis was the lowest species in occurrence.

Their percentages of relative occurrence were 34.92, 25.40, 20.63, 11.91 and 7.14%, respectively.

T.

urticae showed two peaks of abundance.

The highest peak was 29.25 individual/leaf appeared in the beginning of August month.

There were significant differences in population between the infestation % and damage of T.

urticae during the growth stages of soybean.

The percent of protein contents was high through flowering and reproductive stage compared with vegetation stage.

Multiplication of T.

urticae number on soybean, 10, 20 and 30 mites/leaf in greenhouse during growing season, 35 days old soybean plants infested with spider mites at the rate of 30 mites/leaf produced significantly a greater number of spider mites.

the age of the soybean plant had no effect on the predator population.