Fertility Life Table of Tetranychus palmarum Flechtmann & Noronha (Acari: Tetranychidae) in Oil Palm

Abstract

Some species of spider mites belonging to the Tetranychidae family are known to associate with oil palm (Elaeis guineensis Jacq. - Arecaceae). The occurrence of Tetranychus palmarum Flechtmann & Noronha (Acari, Tetranychidae) was verified on oil palm seedlings under greenhouse conditions in the State of Pará in Northern Brazil. Plants with colonies of T. palmarum presented yellowish spots on leaflets and leaves with chlorosis. The objective of this study was to access the biology and fertility life table of T. palmarum in E. guineensis leaves. The experiment was conducted under four constant temperatures, 22, 25, 28, and 31°C, at 70 ± 10% RH under a 12:12 LD photoperiod. The duration of the egg-to-adult period was 18.4 and 9.8 days, at 22 and 31°C, respectively. The parameters of the fertility life table showed that 28°C is most suitable for the development and reproduction of T. palmarum, with higher values for reproductive parameters (R , r , and λ) and lower values for duplicating the population (TD). Therefore, it is apparent that the best temperature conditions for the development of T. palmarum are found in the warmer regions of Brazil, such as those observed in northern Brazil.