Functional response of Amblyseius tamatavensis Blommers (Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae) to eggs of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) on five host plants

摘要

Amblyseius tamatavensis Blommers is a promising predator for the control of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), a polyphagous pest. Since the architecture of the host plant may affect prey consumption by predatory mites, this work evaluated the consumption of eggs of B. tabaci by A. tamatavensis on different plants (cotton, bean, potato, melon and tomato). Functional responses were determined by logistic regression of eggs consumed as a function of initial number of prey using a polynomial logistic regression; the random predator equation was used to describe functional response parameters. Predation was higher on cotton and potato leaves, whereas the lowest prey consumption was obtained on tomato and melon. Amblyseius tamatavensis had functional response of type II on all plants and attack rate and handling time were not influenced by plant species. The results obtained confirm that A. tamatavensis is a promising predator of B. tabaci, but its efficacy may vary with leaf surface texture, especially trichome density.