Abstract
Many plant-dwelling mites reside on lower leaf surfaces. The biological impact of solar ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation on spider mites has been demonstrated over the last decade. Due to the serious problem of acaricide resistance in spider mites, the development of alternative control methods and establishment of an integrated pest management (IPM) strategy are urgently needed, especially for greenhouse horticultural crops such as strawberries. A physical control method for spider mites using UV-B lamps (UV-B method) has been established. Using the UV-B method, simultaneous control of spider mites and powdery mildew, a major disease, is possible, making it is a favorable IPM strategy. Here, I introduce general findings regarding the biological impact of UV radiation on spider mites and phytoseiid mites, useful natural enemies for biological control, over the last decade, including dose response, effective wavelengths, and photoreactivation. Moreover, I introduce the application of UV-B to spider mite control in strawberry greenhouses, including the possibility of concurrent use with biological control via phytoseiid mites, and discuss its possible contributions to IPM.
Highlights
The near ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths are divided into UV-A (315–400 nm), UV-B (280–315 nm), and UV-C (200–280 nm)
Solar UV radiation is generally higher at lower latitudes, except in the ozone hole region, and has greater impacts on organisms living in low latitudes (Meador et al 2009), leading to evolution of protective systems and other adaptations against ambient UV-B radiation in insects (Abram et al 2015; Gaudreau et al 2017)
Suzuki et al (2013) showed that T. urticae avoids entering patches illuminated with UV-B from a light emitting diode under virtual field conditions provided by a micro-locomotion compensator, which is an equipment to keep and record a walking mite in an experimental area by complementing the movement of mites on the test table with the movement of the table (Kojima et al 2003)
Summary
The near ultraviolet (UV) wavelengths are divided into UV-A (315–400 nm), UV-B (280–315 nm), and UV-C (200–280 nm). UV exerts stronger inhibition on organisms (Slieman and Nicholson 2000), resulting in a spectrum of biological activity of solar UV radiation that peaks in the range of 305–315 nm (Coohill and Sagripanti 2009; Munakata et al 1996). Plant-dwelling mites frequently reside on the lower leaf surfaces of their host plants (Sudo and Osakabe 2011). Detrimental effects of solar UV-B on plant-dwelling mites and avoidance of these effects by occupying lower leaf surfaces on sunny days have been reported previously by Barcelo (1981). Numerous studies have revealed significant biological impacts of UV-B radiation on plant-dwelling mites (Ohtsuka and Osakabe 2009; Suzuki et al 2009). I introduce the challenges associated with application of UV-B lamps for spider mite management in greenhouses and discuss the potential contribution of UV-B technology to integrated pest management (IPM) strategies for greenhouse cultivation
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