Influence of temperature and vapor pressure deficit on the rate of predation by the predatory mite, Amblyseius cucumeris, on Frankliniella occidentalis

Abstract

AbstractThe influence of temperature and vapor pressure deficit (VPD) on the rate of predation by the predatory mite, Amblyseius cucumeris (Oudemans) on Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande) was determined under controlled laboratory conditions. The survival of first instars of F. occidentalis was initially determined by themselves. Then the number of first instars that were killed by a single female adult of A. cucumeris was determined for the same density of thrips. The differences in the mortality between the two experiments were used to calculate the rate of predation by A. cucumeris under a range of temperature and VPD regimes. Rate of predation was expressed as the number of thrips killed per h to account for the different time periods that the trials lasted. A quadratic model was fitted to the data. At a constant temperature, the rate of predation decreased with increasing VPD for VPDs ≤ 1.24 to 1.44 kPa. Above these VPDs, the rate of predation started to increase again. At a constant VPD, the rate of predation decreased slightly at the lower temperatures and increased at the higher temperatures. The rate of change was dependent upon the VPD. By using the quadratic model, the rate of predation can be predicted for the range of hygrothermal conditions that would be encountered in the greenhouse. The optimal condition for maximum rate of predation by A. cucumeris on first instars of F. occidentalis in the greenhouse is a VPD ≤ 0.75 kPa at the recommended production temperatures and VPDs (17 to 25°C and ≤ 1.5 kPa).