Do coffee domatia benefit the predatory mite Iphiseiodes zuluagai Denmark & Muma (Acari: Phytoseiidae)?
Coffee plants have domatia on their leaves harbouring mites, and the predatory mites can also use such structures. Here, we evaluated the effect of the domatia on the predatory mite I. zuluagai, manipulating these structures on the leaves of Coffea arabica cv. CatuaÝ. The tests were carried out using arenas made of coffee leaves placed upside-down inside petri dishes. The survival of I. zuluagai was evaluated when released on leaves with closed domatia (T1); leaves with open domatia plus prey (T2); and leaves with open domatia without prey (T3). The experiment was checked every 24 h, measuring the number of alive adults, oviposition site and the number of I. zuluagai eggs per treatment. Significant difference was found between treatments. Mites werealive until the end of the experiments on leaves with open domatia (T2 and T3), which did not happen on leaves with closed domatia (T1). The predators oviposited preferentially inside the domatia on treatments with open domatia, and on the edge of the leaves, next to the moist cotton bordering the leaves, on the treatment with closed domatia. The results indicate the role of domatia on the survival of the predators on the coffee plants, suggesting a possible mutualist interaction plant-predator. On coffee crops, a mutualistic plant-predator interaction mediated by domatia could be used in practices of natural biological control, selecting coffee plants with domatia to harbour predatory mites and thereby protecting plants against harmful herbivore mites.
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | biblioteca |
| Published: |
2004
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| Subjects: | IPHISEIODES, IPHISEIODES ZULUAGAI, COFFEA, COFFEA ARABICA, AGENTES DE CONTROL BIOLOGICO, HOJAS, OVIPOSICION, DEPREDADORES, ACARINA, |
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