Effects of NaCl-stressed citrus plants on life-history parameters of Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae)

Authors: Aucejo-Romero, Sílvia¹; Gómez-Cadenas, Aurelio¹; Jacas-Miret, Josep-Anton²

Source: Experimental and Applied Acarology, Volume 33, Number 1, 2004 , pp. 55-67(13)

Publisher: Springer

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Abstract:

Tetranychus urticae is an important pest of citrus, especially lemon and mandarin, under Mediterranean climate. Factors leading to this problem are poorly understood, but saline stress is suspected to contribute to spider mite outbreaks. In this study, the effect of NaCl concentration in nutritive solutions used to water potted young mandarin trees on population growth of T. urticae reared on leaf discs obtained from these plants was investigated. Although the differences observed between treated (5, 10, 30 and 60 mM NaCl) and control groups were in most cases not significant, when all biological parameters calculated were combined to obtain R_o, T and R_m, remarkable differences appeared, and a concentration-dependent effect was detected. Although high salt concentrations negatively affected T. urticae, at the lowest concentration tested the R_m value was significantly higher than at the water control and this may contribute to the observed field explosions of T. urticae.

Keywords: Citrus reticulata; Intrinsic rate of increase; Life history; Mandarin; Salt-stress; Tetranychus urticae

Document Type: Research article

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1023/B:APPA.0000030026.77800.0c

Affiliations: 1: Departament de Ciències Experimentals, Universitat Jaume I, Campus del Riu Sec, E-12071 Castelló de la Plana, Spain 2: Departament de Ciències Experimentals, Universitat Jaume I, Campus del Riu Sec, E-12071 Castelló de la Plana, Spain( jacas@exp.uji.es; phone: +34-964-729401;, Fax: +34-964-728066)), Email: jacas@exp.uji.es

Publication date: 2004-01-01