Predictions of summer diapause in the redlegged earth mite, Halotydeus destructor (Acari: Penthaleidae), in Australia

2005 ◽  
Vol 51 (6) ◽  
pp. 717-726 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Ridsdill-Smith ◽  
Celia Pavri ◽  
Egbert De Boer ◽  
Darren Kriticos
2008 ◽  
Vol 48 (12) ◽  
pp. 1506 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. J. Ridsdill-Smith ◽  
A. A. Hoffmann ◽  
G. P. Mangano ◽  
J. M. Gower ◽  
C. C. Pavri ◽  
...  

The redlegged earth mite, Halotydeus destructor, continues to be an intractable pest causing damage to most crop and pasture species in southern Australia. H. destructor feed on all stages of plants, but particularly damage seedlings in autumn. Research has aimed to develop new controls based on a better understanding of the biology and ecology of this pest. Chemicals remain the key tool to control H. destructor, despite the recent appearance of resistance to synthetic pyrethroids. A control package, Timerite, has been developed by which a single well-timed spray in spring can prevent H. destructor from developing diapause eggs. Field trials show this strategy provides effective control of H. destructor the following autumn, and protects plant seedlings, although mite populations build up again during winter. Non-chemical control strategies include grazing, the use of tolerant plants such as cereals, resistant legume cultivars and avoiding rotations where favourable host plants are available in the year before growing susceptible crops such as canola. Natural enemies can assist in mite control, and their numbers can be enhanced by methods including increasing landscape features like shelterbelts. Interspecific competition can occur between H. destructor and other pest mites, but the extent to which these interactions influence the structure of pest communities under different management regimes remains to be investigated.


1997 ◽  
Vol 37 (3) ◽  
pp. 343 ◽  
Author(s):  
D. J. Thackray ◽  
T. J. Ridsdill-Smith ◽  
D. J. Gillespie

Summary. Controlled environment experiments were conducted to establish some of the requirements for successful mass rearing of Halotydeus destructor (redlegged earth mite). Numbers of mites reared on Vicia sativa (common vetch) cv. Blanchefleur grown alone or on a mixture of vetch with Trifolium subterraneum (subterranean clover) cv. Goulburn, were significantly higher than those on subterranean clover or Arctotheca calendula (capeweed) alone. Populations reared on vetch grown in a sandy soil were significantly higher than those reared on vetch grown in a loamy soil, pure sand or pure loam. Covering the soil surface with a natural pasture mulch increased mite numbers compared with leaving the soil bare or placing plant pots inside ventilated cages. Subsequent changes in rearing methodology produced enough mites to enable summer screening of subterranean clover lines for resistance to H. destructorfor the first time. Over 20 000 mites can be produced from vetch at one time for screening tests throughout the year.


2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (2) ◽  
pp. 509-519 ◽  
Author(s):  
Qiong Yang ◽  
Paul A Umina ◽  
Gordana Rašić ◽  
Nicholas Bell ◽  
Jichao Fang ◽  
...  

1995 ◽  
Vol 46 (5) ◽  
pp. 1091 ◽  
Author(s):  
TJ Ridsdill-Smith

Responses of redlegged earth mite (Halotydeus destructor) to seedlings of three resistant and four susceptible varieties of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) were measured after 7 or 14 days in pot experiments in the glasshouse. With a single variety/pot, mites on resistant varieties (DGI007, EP145SubD and Rutherglen B) produced 45% of the progeny that were produced by mites on the susceptible varieties (89838G, Dalkeith, Junee and 70088B). Number of stages completed and survival were little affected by varieties. Feeding damage (silvering of cotyledons) on resistant varieties averaged 45% of that on susceptible varieties with a single varietylpot. H. destructor fed less on resistant varieties in choice than in single variety experiments. On Junee and 89838G seedlings, feeding damage was similar to that on other susceptible varieties, but there were about half as many H. destructor progeny as on Dalkeith and 70088B. Mites laid more eggs on soil away from Junee plants, compared to the other three susceptible varieties. Different factors adversely affected the number of progeny produced on resistant varieties and on Junee.


2000 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 113 ◽  
Author(s):  
A. Liu ◽  
T. J. Ridsdill-Smith ◽  
D. C. Nicholas

Redlegged earth mite (Halotydeus destructor) causes feeding damage to some pulse species at the seedling stage. To quantify the effect of this damage on subsequent plant growth and development, an experiment was conducted in the glasshouse using yellow lupin, Lupinus luteus cv. Motiv, which is highly susceptible to the mites. After emergence, plants were infested with 0, 100, 150, and 250 mites/plant, collected from the field. Fourteen days after application, mites were removed. Damage to plants was estimated at seedling stage, flowering time, and maturity. At seedling stage (on Day 14), feeding damage scores to cotyledons and true leaves were greater at higher mite densities. Damaged plants produced fewer nodules, fewer lateral roots, and less dry weight than the control. On Day 35, severely damaged plants failed to recover and on the surviving plants, cotyledons and true leaves died earlier than on the plants without damage. On Day 78, when plants were flowering, the surviving plants produced fewer nodules and branches, and less dry weight per plant than the control. The flowering time of plants with the mite treatments was delayed by up to 6 days compared with the controls. The final shoot dry weight, pod number, seed number, and seed yield per pot were significantly reduced by the mite treatments. Feeding by H. destructor on seedlings of yellow lupin caused a reduction in seed yield of 58% at the highest mite density treatment. This significant economic loss needs to be confirmed under field conditions, but it signifies the need to develop appropriate control measures for this pest.


2015 ◽  
Vol 66 (9) ◽  
pp. 938 ◽  
Author(s):  
T. J. Ridsdill-Smith ◽  
C. C. Pavri

The use of a TIMERITE® spring spray to control redlegged earth mite (RLEM), Halotydeus destructor (Tucker) (Acari: Penthaleidae), in annual pastures was evaluated on farms across Australia. RLEM populations in autumn in the treatments sprayed in spring 1998 and 1999 were 97% lower in 1999 and 97% in 2000 in the western region (Western Australia), and 93% lower in 1999 and 93% in 2000 in the eastern region (Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia). At sites in the west, control of RLEM resulted in significant increases in subterranean clover seed yield in 1999 and in clover seedling numbers in autumn 1999 and 2000. Penthaleus major (blue oat mite) populations in autumn were 60% lower in sprayed treatments, but Sminthurus viridis (lucerne flea) populations were not affected. Differences in weather between the west (where there is a hot, dry summer) and the east (where temperature and rainfall regimes are more variable in spring and early summer) seem to cause greater RLEM control and greater benefits in subterranean clover seed yield and seedling numbers with a spring spray in the west.


1999 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 621 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. A. Umina ◽  
A. A. Hoffmann

Blue oat mites (Penthaleus spp.) and redlegged earth mites (Halotydeus destructor) are major pests of crops and pastures in southern Australia. Management of these mites has been complicated by the recent discovery of 3 cryptic parthenogenic species of Penthaleus, whereas prior research had assumed a single species. The response of the 3 Penthaleus species and H. destructor to commonly used pesticides (omethoate, methidathion, bifenthrin and endosulfan) was compared. Penthaleus falcatus was more tolerant of all pesticides than the other species, whereas H. destructor tended to be the most susceptible. The response of P. major was similar to that of an undescribed cryptic species (Penthaleus sp. x). Mites were sampled from 7 sites where control failures had been reported. Three of these failures were due to P. falcatus despite the fact that this species is relatively uncommon. This suggests that the high tolerance levels of P. falcatus relative to the other species may lead to control problems. Nevertheless, samples of P. falcatus from the control failure sites did not exhibit a higher level of tolerance than those from an unsprayed site. Clones of both P. falcatus and P. major differed in tolerance levels, suggesting some potential for the evolution of increased tolerance levels in mite populations. The results highlight the importance of determining species composition when devising control strategies for mite pest outbreaks.


2018 ◽  
Vol 144 ◽  
pp. 83-90 ◽  
Author(s):  
Owain R. Edwards ◽  
Thomas K. Walsh ◽  
Suzanne Metcalfe ◽  
Wee Tek Tay ◽  
Ary A. Hoffmann ◽  
...  

2011 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 191-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Matthew P. Hill ◽  
Ary A. Hoffmann ◽  
Sarina Macfadyen ◽  
Paul A. Umina ◽  
Jane Elith

2000 ◽  
Vol 51 (3) ◽  
pp. 361 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Chapman ◽  
T. J. Ridsdill-Smith ◽  
N. C. Turner

The impact of water stress and infestations of redlegged earth mite [Halotydeus destructor Tucker (Acarina : Penthaleidae)] on the early growth and botanical composition of a mixed subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum L.) and capeweed (Arctotheca calendula Levyns) pasture was investigated in a controlled environment experiment. Water stress and redlegged earth mite infestations both significantly reduced herbage production from both species. The yield of the subterranean clover was suppressed less by water stress than that of the capeweed. The differing sensitivities of the two species to water stress were attributed to differences in seedling size and growth rates at the onset of the drought. Redlegged earth mites caused greater feeding damage on cotyledons of the subterranean clover than of the capeweed. Despite this, the mites had a greater deleterious impact on the growth of the capeweed, which was suppressed both in the presence and absence of water stress. Redlegged earth mites in the presence of water stress did not significantly affect the growth of the subterranean clover. Furthermore, in the absence of water stress, the growth of the subterranean clover was greater when mites were present than when absent. The greater sensitivity of the capeweed to the effects of feeding by the redlegged earth mites was attributed to the smaller size of its seedlings at the time the redlegged earth mites were introduced. The increase in growth of the subterranean clover following the introduction of redlegged earth mites is more likely due to a change in the competitive relationships between the two plant species than to any direct effect of the mites’ feeding. Our observations indicate that the presence of water stress and redlegged earth mites significantly affects the competitive interactions between seedlings of subterranean clover and capeweed.


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