| Pollen grains of apple and Japanese quince, nutritionally viable alternative diets for rearing Amblyseius swirskii |
| Paper ID : 1104-IPCA5 |
| Authors |
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Khashayar Saremi Javid *1, Shima Rahmani2 1Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran 2Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, Tehran, Iran. |
| Abstract |
| Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot is a generalist predator known for its effectiveness as a biological control agent, capable of surviving, developing, and reproducing successfully even when prey is scarce. Pollen grains of numerous plants provide a highly nutritious source, thus considered as alternative food for this phyto-carnivorous natural enemy. This study evaluated the suitability of pollen grains of apple Malus domestica Borkh., and Japanese quince Chaenomeles japonica (Thunb.) Lindl. as diets for rearing A. swirskii. The experiments were initiated with 24-hour-old eggs and conducted under controlled laboratory conditions at 25±1°C, 60±5% Relative humidity (RH), and a 16:8 h L: D photoperiod. The Experimental units were monitored daily and supplied with each pollen grain. Predators in control treatment were fed with immature stages of Tetranychus urticae Koch as natural prey. After the emergence of adults, one female was paired with one male of the same treatment and the evaluation continued to assess the reproductive parameters. According to the results, the duration of pre-adult development of A. swirskii fed apple pollen, Japanese quince pollen, and T. urticae averaged 6.28, 6.46, and 6.60 days, respectively. Also, the adult longevity in the treatment of Japanese quince pollen was 53.46 days, significantly higher than in the apple pollen (44.32 days) and control (46.41 days) treatments. According to the Age-specific fecundity (mx) parameter, females fed apple pollen started to lay eggs on 7th day, and remained fertile until the 50th day. However, oviposition in Japanese quince and control treatments started from 7th and 6th day, respectively, and ended on the 42nd and 41st days, respectively. Furthermore, the highest fecundity was calculated in the mites fed apple pollen (37.51 egg/female) followed by Japanese quince pollen (34.95 egg/female) and the natural prey (26.14 eggs/female). These findings confirmed that pollen of both plants, apple and Japanese quince can effectively support the development and reproduction of A. swirskii, indicating their potential as reliable alternative diet sources for sustaining predator populations in the absence of natural prey. |
| Keywords |
| Biological control, Predatory mite, Alternative diet, Rosaceae family, Pollen |
| Status: Abstract Accepted |
