Characterization of Predatory Mite Populations of Phytoseiidae Family Using Molecular Tools

Abstract

The two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae Koch (Acari: Tetranychidae), considered one of the mite pests of greatest economic importance worldwide, causes serious damage in several crops. The use of predatory mites to control the spider mite is one of the most promising strategies for the pest control in commercial production systems for fruits, vegetables and ornamentals. The use of predatory mite strains resistant to compounds of broad spectrum of action (e.g. pyrethroids) can enable the use of these natural enemies for the biological control of the spider mite, in crops where the farmer makes any application of pesticides against other arthropod pests (e.g. caterpillars, thrips, mealybugs, whiteflies). The proposed research includes analysis of genotyping data of mites collected from strawberry crops in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, using DNA markers. In addition, the functionality of P. macropilis microsatellites developed at CBMEG - Unicamp (Center for Molecular Biology and Genetic Engineering) will be tested on the following species of Phytoseiidae in France: Phytoseiulus persimilis,Amblyseius swirskii and Neoseiulus californicus. The conduction of the proposed research may represent a major advance in the characterization of predatory mites of the Phytoseiidae family, generating information of great relevance for the establishment of strategies for the management of the two-spotted spider mite, in different agro-ecossystems.