Management of the European red mite, Panonychus ulmi (Acari: Tetranychidae) in apple orchards of North Western Himalayan region of India

Abstract

ABSTRACT The European red mite, Panonychus ulmi, has emerged as a serious pest in apple orchards of Himachal Pradesh, India. Therefore, the present studies were conducted to use a combination of reduced dose of synthetic acaricidal concentrations along with Horticultural Mineral Oil (@ 1%) and (@ 0.5%). Results showed that the combination treatments [half concentration of the recommended acaricide (fenazaquin, fenpyroximate, spiromesifen and hexythiazox)] and Horticulture Mineral Oil (@ 1%) reduced the mite population to 1.33 mites per leaf in comparison to 37.30 mites per leaf in control. When both the acaricides and Horticulture Mineral Oil were reduced to half, the mite population was reduced to 2.33 mites per leaf, whereas the infestation in control was 22.65 mites per leaf. Further, the evaluation of the combination of hexythiazox (0.005%) + HMO (1%) was evaluated with biopesticides and popularly used acaricides under high-density apple plantation. The results revealed propargite (0.057%) as the most effective treatment being at par with hexythiazox (0.005%) + HMO 1% (1.25 and 1.45 mites/leaf, respectively). The entomopathogenic fungi, Beauveria bassiana and Metarhizium anisopliae (2.40 and 2.55 mites/leaf, respectively) were quite effective in reducing the mite population. Among all the treatments, hexythiazox 0.005% (13.10 mites/leaf) was the least effective treatment.