| Life expectancy of Amblyseius swirskii fed on pollen grains alone and integrated with the natural prey |
| Paper ID : 1081-IPCA5 (R1) |
| Authors |
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Faranak Kouros1, Shima Rahmani *2 1Department of Plant Protection, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. 2Department of Plant Protection, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University |
| Abstract |
| The phyto-carnivorous predator Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot (Mesostigmata: Phytoseiidae) may survive and develop better when fed plant- and animal-based diets. To investigate life expectancy, the predatory mite was fed two pollen grains: the bird-of-paradise (Caesalpinia gilliesii) and the Damask rose (Rosa damascena), alone and in combination with the spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Prostigmata: Tetranychidae), as natural prey. The pollen grains were collected from pesticide-free plants, and dried at room temperature for 24 h, then kept at 4°C for short-term usage or stored at -18°C for long-time utilization. The experiments were started with the cohorts of 24-hour eggs in each treatment and performed in constant conditions at 25±1°C, 60±5% Relative Humidity (RH), and a photoperiod of 16L: 8D h. The age-stage life expectancy (exj) is the time an individual of age x and stage j is expected to live. Thus, the obtained data were analyzed using the age-stage two-sex life table procedure. Results showed that the predatory mite could feed, survive, and develop in all treatments. The newly laid eggs of A. swirskii in the treatment of bird-of-paradise pollen + spider mite were likely to survive for 71.71 days. This value for the treatments fed to the bird-of-paradise pollen, Damask rose pollen, and Damask rose pollen + spider mite was 43.07, 35.60, and 65.6 days, respectively. In addition, newly emerged female (day 5) and male (day 6) individuals fed the bird-of-paradise + spider mite were expected to live 72.21 and 73.31 days, respectively. This value for the treatment of Damask rose pollen + spider mite was calculated as 65.16 and 62.86 days, respectively. On the other hand, the female individuals fed with Damask rose, and bird-of-paradise pollen alone were predicted to live 33.85 and 41.75 days, respectively. This value for the newly emerged males was also 33.33 and 43 days. Therefore, each type of pollen, when combined with the spider mite, provided a better diet for the survival of the predatory mite compared to using pollen alone. Moreover, the combination of Damask rose pollen and spider mites was more valuable for the survival and development of A. swirskii. |
| Keywords |
| Generalist Predator, pollen, spider mite, Damask rose, bird-of-paradise |
| Status: Abstract Accepted |
