CONTROL OF ACULOPS LYCOPERSICI (MASSEE) (ACARI: ERIOPHYIDAE) BY HOMEOPRONEJOATUS ANCONAI (BAKER) (ACARI: TYDEIDAE) ON GLASSHOUSE TOMATO PLANTS

摘要

Tomato plants are attacked by the eriophyid mite, Acuiops lycopersici(Massee), causing a serious damage to the crop. It sucks plant sap and causesreduced growth to the plants. In severe infestation, leaves are curled, rolled upand finally turn brown (Osman and Zaki 1986). Abou-Awad (1979) found twopredators, Pronematus ubiquitus Mcg. and Scolothrips sexmaculatus (Pergande),which are associated with A. lycopersici colony. Osman and Zaki (1986)conducted some experiments regarding the predatory efficiency of Agistemusexertus Gonzalez as a predator of A. lycopersici and recommended that it can beused as a good bio-control agent. Hessein and Perring (1986) found thesignificant lowering of the population of A. lycopersici per leaflet when rearedwith the tydeid mite, Homeopronemalus anconai (Baker). They also observedthat the tomato seedlings containing only A. lycopersici died after 31-37 days ofinoculation, but the seedlings with A. lycopersici and H. anconai remained greenand healthy throughout the experiment. In Japan, the appearance of H. anconaias a predator of A. lycopersici was first reported by Kawai et al. (2001). Haqueand Kawai (2002) observed the significant lowering of the population of A.lycopersici in some glasshouse tomato plants, where H. anconai appeared. But,the detailed information on the relative population growth of A. lycopersici andH. anconai is still lacking. To determine the feasibility of using H. anconai as abio-control agent of A. lycopersici, an experiment was conducted in glasshouseon tomato plants.