Mites on grapevines in northeast Brazil: occurrence, population dynamics and within-plant distribution

Mite pests are some of the major limiting factors affecting grape production in the world. Despite the economic importance of the grapevines and the damage to them caused by some of the phytophagous mites in northeast Brazil, little is known about the mite fauna associated with this crop. The present study aimed to identify the mite fauna associated with grapevine, to evaluate the fluctuation of the populations of the most frequent species of phytophagous mites and their associated predators over a 12-month period as well as their within-plant distribution. Considering all varieties sampled, Tetranychus urticae Koch and Oligonychus mangiferus (Rahman & Sapra) comprised 74% of phytophagous mites. Euseius citrifolius Denmark & Muma and Neoseiulus idaeus Denmark & Muma comprised more than 80% of Phytoseiidae mites. The population dynamics study was conducted in a vineyard of Sugraone and a vineyard of Italia Muscat varieties. In these fields, E. citrifolius occurred at low population levels throughout the ye...