Share this article    

              

       

Life-history traits and functional response of Amblyseius andersoni against major tomato pests

George, Broufas ; Angelos, Bechtsoudis and Maria, Pappas


2026 - Volume: 66 Issue: Suppl pages: 162

https://doi.org/10.24349/mg5q-3l35

ICA 2026 - XVII International Congress of Acarology, 20-24 July 2026, Montpellier

Keywords

Biological control Functional response Tomato rust mite Intrinsic rate of increase Phytoseiidae

Abstract

The indigenous predatory mite Amblyseius andersonihas been identified as a promising biological control agent against major tomato pests. This study evaluated the effects of three prey species—the two-spotted spider mite (Tetranychus urticae), the tomato rust mite (Aculops lycopersici), and the western flower thrips (Frankliniella occidentalis)—on the life-history traits, intrinsic rate of increase (rm), and functional response of A. andersoni under laboratory conditions (25 ± 1°C; 16:8 L:D). Juvenile development, survival, prey consumption, oviposition, and sex ratio were assessed on tomato leaf-disc arenas under three dietary regimes: prey alone, cattail pollen (Typha angustifolia) alone, and prey supplemented with pollen. Functional and numerical responses were determined at increasing prey densities using 24-hour bioassays. Both T. urticae and A. lycopersici proved highly suitable prey, supporting rapid juvenile development, high survival, and substantial oviposition, whereas F. occidentalis was marginally suitable. Pollen supplementation had limited effects on developmental rate but significantly enhanced juvenile survival when prey quality was low. Although pollen reduced per capita prey consumption, it slightly increased rm values and improved reproductive performance, particularly when predators fed on thrips. Functional response analysis indicated a Type II response for all prey species. The highest predation capacity was observed against A. lycopersici, compared with T. urticae and F. occidentalis. These findings, together with favorable intrinsic growth rates, highlight the strong potential of A. andersoni for the biological control of A. lycopersici and T. urticae. Pollen provisioning may further enhance long-term population establishment in tomato cropping systems.

Comments
Please read and follow the instructions to post any comment or correction.

Article editorial history
Date published:
2026-07-20

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
2026 George, Broufas; Angelos, Bechtsoudis and Maria, Pappas
Downloads
 Download article

Download the citation
RIS with abstract 
(Zotero, Endnote, Reference Manager, ProCite, RefWorks, Mendeley)
RIS without abstract 
BIB 
(Zotero, BibTeX)
TXT 
(PubMed, Txt)
Article metrics

Dimensions

Cited by: view citations with

Search via ReFindit