Sublethal Impacts of a Commercial Botanical Pesticide (Salpipest®) Containing Nanoencapsulated Essential oil of Wild Pistachio on Demographic Parameters of the Predatory Mite Amblyseius swirskii Feed on Greenhouse Whitefly.

Abstract

The greenhouse whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum Westwood is one of the most important economic pests of greenhouse products around the world. The use of pesticides is one of the most common methods to control this pest. The wide distribution of the host, the large number of generations, and the polyphagous nature of T. vaporariorum have created the basis for its resistance to pesticides. The predatory mite Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot is one of the effective natural enemies to control whiteflies in greenhouses. This study investigated the sublethal effects of the botanical pesticide Salpipest® derived from wild pistachio (Pistacia atlantica Desf. (Anacardiaceae)) essential oil on the biological parameters of A. swirskii on bell pepper plant under laboratory conditions. After conducting bioassays by leaf-dipping method and determining LC₅₀ (121.599 mg a.i. L^-1), the predator was exposed to the sublethal concentrations of LC₁₀, LC₂₀, and LC₃₀ and its demographic parameters were determined. The results showed that the application of sublethal concentrations of Salpipest® had no significant effect on the duration of the different life stages and fecundity of A. swirskii. Population growth parameters of this predator were also not affected by sublethal concentrations of Salpipest®. Our results showed that Salpipest® had no negative effects on the biological performance of A. swirskii; therefore, the sublethal concentrations of this pesticide can be used in combination with A. swirskii in the integrated management of T. vaporariorum.