Assessing <i>Panonychus ulmi</i> (Acari: Tetranychidae) Infestations and Their Key Predators on <i>Malus domestica</i> Borkh in Varied Ecological Settings
Amine Assouguem,
Rachid Lahlali,
Abdelmalek Boutaleb Joutei,
Mohammed Kara,
Ahmed Bari,
Kamal Aberkani,
Sawinder Kaur,
Fouad Mokrini,
Abderrahim Lazraq
Affiliations
Amine Assouguem
Department of Plant Protection and Environment, National School of Agriculture, Meknes, Km.10, Route Haj Kaddour, B.P.S/40, Meknes 50001, Morocco
Rachid Lahlali
Department of Plant Protection and Environment, National School of Agriculture, Meknes, Km.10, Route Haj Kaddour, B.P.S/40, Meknes 50001, Morocco
Abdelmalek Boutaleb Joutei
Department of Plant Protection and Environment, National School of Agriculture, Meknes, Km.10, Route Haj Kaddour, B.P.S/40, Meknes 50001, Morocco
Mohammed Kara
Laboratory of Biotechnology, Conservation and Valorisation of Natural Resources (LBCVNR), Faculty of Sciences Dhar El Mehraz, University Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdallah, BP 1796 Atlas, Fez 30000, Morocco
Ahmed Bari
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy King Saud University Riyadh Saudi Arabia, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Kamal Aberkani
Multidisciplinary Faculty of Nador, University Mohammed First Selouane, Nador 62700, Morocco
Sawinder Kaur
Department of Food Technology and Nutrition, School of Agriculture, Lovely Professional University, Phagwara 144411, Punjab, India
Fouad Mokrini
Unite de Biotechnologie, Institute for Agricultural Research, CRRA, Rabat 10090, Morocco
Abderrahim Lazraq
Laboratory of Functional Ecology and Environment, Faculty of Sciences and Technology, Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah University, Imouzzer Street, P.O. Box 2202, Fez 30000, Morocco
This study investigates the infestation dynamics of Panonychus ulmi McGregor 1916 and its associated predators in Malus domestica borkh orchards across three towns in Morocco: Midelt, Ait Sebaa, and Imouzzer-Kender, situated in the Fez-Meknes and Draa-Tafilalt regions. Ait Sebaa (Fez-Meknes region), characterized by high temperatures and a lower altitude, exhibited a substantial increase in P. ulmi and its predators. In contrast, Midelt (Draa-Tafilalt region), with the highest altitude, demonstrated lower mite counts. Imouzzer-Kender (Fez-Meknes region), at an intermediate altitude, showed moderate mite levels. Detailed findings reveal a positive correlation between P. ulmi and temperature, as well as with phytoseiid mites. Conversely, a negative correlation exists between P. ulmi and altitude. Additionally, a positive correlation between phytoseiid mites and temperature is identified. Overall, this study provides valuable information on the ecological interactions between mites, temperature, altitude and humidity in distinct Moroccan regions, highlighting the need to take regional specificities into account in pest management strategies.
