Instant Insights: Mite Pests in Agriculture: (28 Burleigh Dodds Science: Instant Insights)

This collection features four peer-reviewed literature reviews on mite pests in agriculture. The first chapter offers a holistic approach to integrated mite management by reviewing the basics of mite taxonomy and morphology. It studies the key plant mite families, focussing on major plant feeding mites (Tetranychidae, Tarsonemidae, Eriophyoidea), as well as the natural predators that regulate these mite populations. The second chapter explores the cultural, biological and chemical control tactics available for controlling major plant feeding mites. These tactics include: choosing tolerant varieties and weed management. The chapter concludes with a discussion on the debate surrounding the best form of control for mite pests in agriculture. The third chapter highlights the importance of understanding the bio-ecology of Tetranychidae species affecting tomato crops, including the two-spotted spider mite, carmine spider mite and red spider mite. The chapter considers the effects of each pest on tomato plants, as well as how best to control them. The final chapter details the ecology of mite pests affecting wheat that belong to the Eriophyoidea family, such as gall mites and wheat curl mites. The chapter discusses the various forms of control for managing Eriophyid mites, as well as the development of new resistant varieties of wheat.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 - Integrated pest management of mites: Oscar E. Liburd, Lorena Lopez, Daniel Carrillo, Alexandra M. Revynthi and Omotola Olaniyi, University of Florida, USA; and Rana Akyazi, Ordu University, Turkey; 1 Introduction 2 Mite taxonomy and morphology 3 Plant feeding mites 4 Integrated mite management 5 Biological control 6 Future trends 7 Conclusion 8 Where to look for further information 9 References Chapter 2 - Integrated management of mite pests of tree fruit: Rebecca A. Schmidt-Jeffris, Clemson University, USA; Elizabeth H. Beers, Washington State University, USA; and Carlo Duso, University of Padua, Italy; 1 Introduction 2 Cultural control 3 Biological control 4 Chemical control 5 Conclusion 6 Where to look for further information 7 References Chapter 3 - Bio-ecology of major insect and mite pests of tomato crops in the tropics: R. Srinivasan, AVRDC – The World Vegetable Center, Taiwan; 1 Introduction 2 Aphids 3 Thrips 4 Whitefly 5 Leaf miner 6 South American tomato leaf miner 7 Tomato fruit borer 8 Armyworms 9 Spider mites 10 Conclusions 11 Where to look for further information 12 References Chapter 4 - Wheat pests: insects, mites, and prospects for the future: Marion O. Harris and Kirk Anderson, North Dakota State University, USA; Mustapha El-Bouhssini, ICARDA, Morocco; Frank Peairs, Colorado State University, USA; Gary Hein, University of Nebraska, USA; and Steven Xu, USDA-ARS Northern Crops Institute, USA; 1 Introduction 2 Arthropods (disciplines – Entomology and Acarology): introduction 3 Hessian fl y (Mayetiola destructor Say) 4 Orange wheat blossom midge (Sitodiplosis mosellana Géhin) 5 Bird cherry oat aphid (Rhopalosiphum padi L.) 6 Greenbug (Schizaphis graminum Rondani) 7 Russian wheat aphid (Diuraphis noxia Kurdjumov) 8 Sunn pest (Eurygaster integriceps Puton) 9 Wheat stem sawfl y (Cephus cinctus Norton) 10 Wheat curl mite (Aceria tosichella Keifer) 11 Prospects for wheat resistance to pests 12 Conclusions and prospects for new pest management technologies 13 Where to look for further information 14 Acknowledgements 15 References