Effect of Relative Humidity on the Population Dynamics of the Predator <i>Amblyseius swirskii</i> and Its Prey <i>Carpoglyphus lactis</i> in the Context of Slow-Release Sachets for Use in Biological Control in Greenhouses
Yohan Solano-Rojas,
Juan R. Gallego,
Manuel Gamez,
Inmaculada Lopez,
Patricia Castillo,
Tomas Cabello
Affiliations
Yohan Solano-Rojas
Research Centre for Mediterranean Intensive Agrosystems and Agrifood Biotechnology (CIAMBITAL), Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (CEIA3), University of Almeria, 04120 Cañada de S. Urbano (La), Spain
Juan R. Gallego
Research Centre for Mediterranean Intensive Agrosystems and Agrifood Biotechnology (CIAMBITAL), Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (CEIA3), University of Almeria, 04120 Cañada de S. Urbano (La), Spain
Manuel Gamez
Research Centre for Mediterranean Intensive Agrosystems and Agrifood Biotechnology (CIAMBITAL), Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (CEIA3), University of Almeria, 04120 Cañada de S. Urbano (La), Spain
Inmaculada Lopez
Department of Mathematics, University of Almería, 04120 Cañada de S. Urbano (La), Spain
Patricia Castillo
Research Centre for Mediterranean Intensive Agrosystems and Agrifood Biotechnology (CIAMBITAL), Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (CEIA3), University of Almeria, 04120 Cañada de S. Urbano (La), Spain
Tomas Cabello
Research Centre for Mediterranean Intensive Agrosystems and Agrifood Biotechnology (CIAMBITAL), Agrifood Campus of International Excellence (CEIA3), University of Almeria, 04120 Cañada de S. Urbano (La), Spain
Amblyseius swirskii is a predatory mite that is widely used for biological control in greenhouses. One way this predator is released is in a formulation in slow-release sachets. These sachets are prepared with the predatory mite, the factitious prey mite Carpoglyphus lactis, and a food substrate for the latter. The objective of the present study was to study the effects of microclimatic conditions in this type of formulation on the population dynamics of mites inside the sachets and on the release of predatory mites. These experiments were conducted under laboratory conditions in two trials. The ambient relative humidity affected the water content of the food substrate of the prey mite inside the sachets, with an initial value of 21.49 ± 0.42%, which was reduced to values of 4.7 ± 0.25%, 10.87 ± 1.03% and 17.27 ± 0.82% after 21 days of trials when they were exposed to low, medium and high ambient relative humidity levels, respectively. Relative humidity significantly altered the dynamics of the populations of both species inside the sachets and the exits of the predator from the sachets to the external environment.
