Acarofauna associated to papaya orchards in Veracruz, Mexico

Abstract

ABSTRACT. Mexican agriculturists have recently noticed strong increases of mite infestations in papaya (Carica papaya L. 1753) orchards. A list of mite species associated with papaya leaves was constructed to determine the species responsible for high infestations and to identify predaceous mites as potential biological control agents. Mites were collected from three foliage strata (high, middle and low), in seven municipalities of central Veracruz State. Leaves were processed by washing and sieving. Identified species included four tetranychids: Eotetranychus lewisi (McGregor 1943) (Banks 1905), with the first two species being the most abundant. The vagrant eriophyid Calacarus citrifolii Keifer 1955 was collected in three municipalities, in the low stratum. Neither the broad mite, Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Banks 1904), nor the carmine spider mite, Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Boisduval 1867), were collected, although these species were previously recorded from this area. None of the Phytoseiid species found can be considered a recently established species; their potential as biological control agents is discussed.

High susceptibility of Tetranychus merganser (Acari: Tetranychidae), an emergent pest of the tropical crop Carica papaya, towards Metarhizium anisopliae s.l. and Beauveria bassiana strains

“…Given that T. merganser has been previously reported in C. papaya orchards of Yucatán and Veracruz ( Fig. 1 ), other states located along the Gulf of México ( Valencia-Domínguez et al, 2011 ; Abato-Zárate et al, 2014 ; Monjarás-Barrera et al, 2017 ), we looked for biological control for this emerging pest to avoid the use of chemical acaricides and resistance selection.…”

“…Additionally, some of these acaricides are toxic and producers apply them without knowledge about exactly which specie or species of mites are present. The correct identification of mites in the complex affecting a papaya crop field is necessary to select the most appropriate pest management strategies ( Abato-Zárate et al, 2014 ).…”

“…1 ). It may be the most injurious mite pest for papaya in some regions ( Valencia-Domínguez et al, 2011 , Reyes-Pérez et al, 2013 ; Abato-Zárate et al, 2014 ; López-Bautista et al, 2016 ). Thus, T. merganser is considered to be an emerging pest which is expanding geographically and in terms of its host range ( Lomelí-Flores et al, 2008 ; Valencia-Domínguez et al, 2011 ; Monjarás-Barrera et al, 2015 ; Monjarás-Barrera et al, 2017 ).…”

Dinámica poblacional de ácaros de las familias Tetranychidae y Phytoseiidae asociados al papayo (Carica papaya L., 1753)

“…Ochoa et al (1991) mencionan que los daños que ocasiona esta especie son más evidentes en el estrato alto, e incluso pueden causar una deformación y reducción foliar llamada "mano de chango". Este tipo de daño, aunado a la coloración cristalina de los estados inmaduros de E. lewisi presentes en las hojas del estrato alto, podrían ser la razón por la que ha sido confundido reiteradamente con el daño ocasionado por el "ácaro blanco" (P. latus) (Otero-Colina, 2015), el cual nunca fue detectado por los autores en este estudio e investigaciones previas en la zona Centro de Veracruz (Abato-Zárate et al, 2014).…”

“…En México los ácaros que se han registrado asociados al papayo son Eutetranychus banksi (Mc Gregor, 1914), Panonychus citri (McGregor, 1916), Tetranychus desertorum Banks, 1900, T. gloveri Banks, 1900, T. kanzawai Kishida, 1927, T. marianae McGregor, 1950, T. urticae Koch, 1836(García, 1981, Oligonychus yothersi (McGregor, 1914), T. cinnabarinus (Boisduval, 1877), Tetranychus gloveri Banks, 1900, Tetranychus ludeni Zacher, 1913, Tetranychus mexicanus McGregor, 1950(Estébanes-González & Baker, 1966, Tetranychus merganser Boudreaux, 1950(Deloya & Valenzuela, 1999 y P. latus (Alcántara et al, 2011). En el estado de Veracruz, México, se ha determinado a las arañas rojas como los principales ácaros nocivos, entre ellas Eotetranychus lewisi (McGregor, 1943), E. banksi y T. merganser, pero también los ácaros depredadores como Euseius hibisci (Chant, 1959) y Galendromus helveolus (Chant, 1959) forman parte de la acarofauna del papayo y pueden regular las poblaciones de los fitófagos y con ello limitan su expresión como plagas (Abato-Zárate et al, 2014). Sin embargo, los enemigos naturales son poco conocidos por productores y técnicos; además se desconocen los mecanismos para su conservación.…”