Sublethal effects of Kane mite® on life table of Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae) and its predators, Phytoseiulus persimilis and Amblyseius swirskii (Acari: Phytoseiiidae)

An integrated pest management (IPM) approach that combines both chemical and biological methods offers the most effective and sustainable solution. The two-spotted spider mite (TSSM), Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae) is a serious pest of many agricultural crops. In controlling the TSSM, the simultaneous use of natural enemies along with a low-risk acaricide on natural enemies and effective on the TSSM is very important. In this study, sublethal effects of Kane mite® including LC ₁₀ , LC ₂₀ , LC ₃₀ concentrations were evaluated on biological parameters of TSSM and its two predators, Phytoseiulus persimilis and Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot (Acari: Phytoseiidae). The effects of different sublethal concentration on TSSM indicated significant reduction in female’s duration of maturation, oviposition period, and total fecundity by increasing concentration of Kane mite. The highest and lowest values of the net reproductive rate ( R ₀ ) on TSSM were obtained in control and LC ₃₀ concentration, respectively. The maximum value of intrinsic rate of increase ( r ) on TSSM was obtained in control treatment. Also, the highest and lowest rate of growth and development were observed in the control treatment and LC ₃₀ concentration, respectively. Therefore, the results suggested that Kane mite effectively controls of TSSM. It could be concluded that sublethal concentrations of Kane mite cannot significantly reduce population growth and life table parameters zof two predators. The results demonstrated that Kane mite with predators could be incorporated in integrated management programs of TSSM.