Population growth and predation efficiency of three phytoseiid species fed Panonychus ulmi in Egypt
The European red mite, Panonychus ulmi (Koch), is one of the most serious pests affecting apple orchards globally, with increasing cases of resistance to conventional chemical compounds. Despite its importance, little is known about the potential of the locally Egyptian predatory mites as biological control agents against this pest. Therefore, this study presented the first comparative evaluation of the life table parameters and predation efficiency of three predatory species; Typhlodromus athiasae Porath and Swirski, Cydnoseius negevi (Swirski and Amitai), and Neoseiulus barkeri (Hughes), to identify the most efficient bio-agents for P. ulmi in the Egyptian apple orchards. This assessment was conducted using the most recent updated versions of TWOSEX-MSChart and CONSUME-MSChart computer software. Typhlodromus athiasae recorded the shortest pre-adult developmental time (♀= 6.87 and ♂= 5.38 days) compared to the other tested species at 27 ± 2 °C and 70 ± 5% RH. It also recorded the highest total fecundity rate (46.13 eggs/female), net reproduction rate (R0) (34.05 offspring/individual), intrinsic rate of increase (r) (0.209 day-1), finite rate of increase (λ) (1.23 day−1), growth reproduction rate (GRR) (38.27 offspring/individual), and the shortest generation time (T) (16.92 days). With respect to predation performance, T. athiasae achieved the highest net predation rate (C0) (573.60 prey/individual), whereas, C. negevi presented a higher finite predation rate (ω) (31.21 day-1), stable predation rate (ψ) (26.45 preys/predator), and slightly equivalent transformation rate (Qp) comparable to T. athiasae. Overall, N. barkeri displayed the weakest performance across all parameters. Correspondingly, the results demonstrated that T. athiasae and C. negevi are promising candidates for P. ulmi biological control in Egyptian apple orchards.