Evaluation of the Impact of Different Management Methods on Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae) and Their Predators in Citrus Orchards

To evaluate the effectiveness of eco-friendly treatments based on detergents classified as non-hazardous and black soap on the pest Tetranychus urticae Koch 1836, and their predators (Euseius stipulatus Athias-Henriot, 1960, Typhlodromus sp., Phytoseiulus persimilis Athias-Henriot, 1957), different treatments were applied to citrus orchards planted with Valencia late (Orange) in the Mechraa Belksiri region of Morocco (T0 = control experiment; T1 = spirodiclofen 0.5 L/Ha; T2 = 125 L/Ha (5%) of black soap; T3 = detergent; 4 L/Ha of Oni product + 2 L/Ha of Tide product). The results obtained during the whole monitoring period indicated that the three treatments used, namely spirodiclofen, black soap, and detergents, ensured a reduction in the rate of population of the pest T. urticae compared to the untreated plot. In the untreated plot, the average was 45.01 A +/- 4.90 mobile forms, while the plot treated with spirodiclofen it was only 21.10 C +/- 2.71, the black soap 31.49 B +/- 3.35, and in the plot treated with detergents, the average was similar to that obtained by spirodiclofen (22.90 C +/- 2.18). On the predators (E. stipulatus, P. persimilis, and Typhlodropmus sp.), the black soap and the treatment with detergents were less harmful compared to the chemical spirodiclofen.

Automated summary

In citrus orchards planted with Valencia late in Morocco, eco-friendly treatments based on non-hazardous detergents and black soap were found to effectively reduce the population of the pest Tetranychus urticae Koch 1836. The treatments with black soap and detergents were also less harmful to the predatory insects compared to the chemical treatment with spirodiclofen.