Abstract
The effect of water stress on specific life history parameters of Tetranychus pacificus McGregor mites was tested in a greenhouse using potted almond trees. Significantly more eggs were deposited by females on trees under variable water stress than by females on trees under continuous water stress. Total egg production was not found to differ significantly between the nonstressed control and either water-stress treatment. Compared with females on control trees, the sex ratio of offspring that developed from eggs deposited on water-stressed trees exhibited a female-biased trend. In addition, the net fecundity rate in the variable water-stress treatment was significantly greater than the control by >20%. Almond leaves subjected to continuous water stress had significantly higher afternoon temperatures and, at the end of the study, significantly lower total nitrogen than nonstressed leaves. The implications of these results for spider mite outbreaks are discussed.
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