Viticulture is an activity of economic importance in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, especially in Serra Gaúcha, which is the major grape-producing region. However, an increase in cultivated areas has been observed in other municipalities in the state. The aim of this study is to characterize mite diversity and community behavior on different varieties, recognizing which predatory species have potential to control phytophagous mites associated with Europan varieties in the Taquari Valley, Rio Grande do Sul state. The study was conducted in vineyards located in the municipalities of Marques de Souza: ‘BRS Vitória’ and cv ‘Itália’ “m”; Imigrante: cv ‘Itália’ “i”; Dois Lajeados: cv ‘Itália’ (c and f), ‘Tannat’ and ‘Chardonnay’; and Putinga: ‘Champanhe’ and ‘Moscato’. Samplings were carried out monthly in the period ranging from March 2017 to March 2018, during which twenty plants were randomly collected from each variety. Three leaves were clipped from each plant; one from the apical third, one from the median third, and one from the basal third, totaling 60 leaves per area. A total of 10,533 specimens were collected, belonging to 12 families, 38 genera, and 53 species, along with those belonging to the suborder Oribatida. The ‘Itália’ “c” variety had the highest abundance (2,012), followed by ‘Moscato’ (1,788) and ‘BRS Vitória’ (1,593). Phytoseiidae had the highest diversity among the mite families observed, with 20 species followed by Tetranychidae (8). The most abundant species were Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Banks) (3,420) and Euseius concordis (Chant) (565), present throughout the study period. ‘Chardonnay’ variety had the highest similarity (72.55%) among mite fauna compositions and the highest dissimilarity occurred between ‘BRS Vitória’ and ‘Champanhe’ varieties (95.48%). Environments evaluated in Dois Lajeados and Putinga were the most homogeneous concerning mite fauna diversity and abundance.

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The South of Brazil is the largest producer of grapes, however this production is affected by climate and herbivores such as phytophagous mites. The aim of this work was to associate the mite fauna with the grape cultivars Chardonnay, BRS Lorena and hybrid cultivars rootstock Paulsen 1103, in trellising and espalier systems, in the municipalities of Bento Gonçalves and Garibaldi, Rio Grande do Sul State, Brazil. The cultivars were: Chardonnay trellis (Cl) Chardonnay espalier (Ce), BRS Lorena trellis (Ll), BRS Lorena espalier (Le) and the hybrid cultivars Paulsen rootstock 1103 (Pa). Monthly samplings were carried out from November 2016 to April 2017. Twenty plants per area were randomly sampled, from each plant three apical leaves were collected, apical, median and basal branches (60 leaves / area). In total, 6,865 mites belonging to seven families, 13 genera and 22 species were collected. The most abundant phytophagous belong to Tarsonemidae and Tenuipalpidae, the predators to Phytoseiidae and the generalists to Tydeidae and Iolinidae. The cultivars Lorena Ll was the greatest similarity (82.39%) among species mites, followed by Paulsen Pa (72.54%), Lorena Le (70.67%), Chardonnay Cl (31.79%) and Chardonnay Ce (31.48%). The highest dissimilarity among the cultivars occurred between Chardonnay Ce and Lorena Le (66.49%), followed by Chardonnay Ce, Chardonnay Cl (66.44%), Chardonnay Ce and Lorena Ll (61.49 %). Thus, there is homogeneity between the sampled cultivars and the conduction systems and the apical third of the leaves and the sampling period are important in determining the composition of the species.

Viticulture is one of the main economic activities in Rio Grande do Sul (RS), Brazil, with emphasis on the American grape varieties, Vitis labrusca L. (Vitaceae), used in producing juices and wines. The present work aimed to identify the mite species associated with American grapevines (V. labrusca), their possible natural enemies, and their population fluctuations. The selected varieties were: Bordô (Bd) and Couderc (Cc and Cd) in Dois Lajeados (RS), Bordô (Bi) in Imigrante (RS) and Bordô (Bp), in Putinga (RS). The study was conducted monthly between March 2017 and March 2018, evaluating 20 randomly selected plants from each municipality. We found 5,452 mites belonging to 13 families, distributed across 29 genera and 42 species, or belonging to the suborder Oribatida. Higher mite richness was observed on Cc (12 species) and higher abundance on Cd (2,812 specimens), Cc (868) and Bi (799). Among the predatory mite families, Stigmaeidae had the highest abundance (896 specimens), followed by Phytoseiidae (746). The most abundant species observed were Euseius mesembrinus (Dean), Agistemus riograndensis Johann & Ferla, Tydeus californicus (Banks), Polyphagotars-onemus latus (Banks) and Tarsonemus sp. This is the first study in southern Brazil that evaluates and reports the mite fauna and its ecology on American grape varieties, with high abundance and frequency of predatory mites. This work is important to assist in implementing management techniques that promote the maintenance of predatory mite species in these vineyards.