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 The
Persea Mite a native of Michoacan, Mexico, was found in southern California
in 1990. Persea mite is native to
Mexico. It attacks avocados in dry
climates although their native ranges in southern Mexico mountains receive
adequate rain to sustain the avocado tree.
This mite is also a serious pest in Costa Rica, Israel, and
Spain. In four years it spread north
to San Luis Obispo County and is expected to continue northward.
These
mites feed in colonies under protective webbing that lies along the midribs
and veins on the undersides of leaves.
Feeding result in typical circular dieing spots. High infestations can defoliate trees,
partially or completely. Premature fruit drop then occurs, and scheduled
management practices are disrupted.
Summer is the season of greatest activity and damage. Insecticide applications actually disrupt
what natural controls exist in an orchard so that damage is more severe. This pest now infests 99% of avocado
acreage in California
The
mite is best adapted to climates where high temperatures are restrained by a
proximity to the Pacific Ocean.
REFERENCES:
Peña, J. E. 2007. Avocado IPM:
Avocado Mites. University of Florida IFAS. 2007.
Aponte O. & J. A. McMurtry. 1997.
Damage on ‘Hass’ avocado leaves, webbing and nesting behaviour of Oligonychus perseae (Acari:
Tetranychidae). Experimental and
Applied Acarology 21: 265–272.
Bender G. S. 1993. A new mite problem in avocados. California Avocado Society Yearbook
77: 73.
Hoddle, Mark S., et al. 2000. Biological
control of Oligonychus perseae
(Acari: Tetranychidae) on avocado.
Internat J. Acarol. 26
(3): 203-14.
Hoddle Mark
S. 2005. Invasions of leaf feeding arthropods: why
are so many new pests attacking California-grown avocados? California Avocado Society Yearbook
87: 65–81.
Humeres E. C. & J. G. Morse. 2005.
Baseline susceptibility of persea mite (Acari: Tetranychidae) to
abamectin and milbemectin in avocado groves in southern California. Experimental and Applied Acarology
36: 51–59.
Kerguelen V.
& Mark S. Hoddle. 2000. Comparison of the susceptibility of
several cultivars of avocado to the persea mite, Oligonychus perseae (Acari: Tetranychidae). Scientia Horticulturae 84: 101–114.
Maoz Y., S.
Gal, M. Zilberstein, Y. Izhar, V. Alchanatis, M. Coll &
E. Palevsky. 2011. Determining an economic injury level for
the persea mite, Oligonychus perseae,
a new pest of avocado in Israel. Entomologia
Experimentalis et Applicata 138:
110–116.
McMurtry J. A. & H. G. Johnson. 1966.
An ecological study of the spider mite Oligonychus punicae (Hirst) and its natural enemies. Hilgardia 37: 363–402.
Yee W. L., P.
A. Phillips, J. L. Rodgers & B. A.
Faber. 2001. Phenology of arthropod pests and
associated natural predators on avocado leaves, fruit, and in leaf litter in
southern California. Environmental
Entomology 30: 892–898.
Zappalà L., S. Kreiter, A. Russo, G. T. Garzia &
P. Auger. 2015. First record of the persea mite Oligonychus perseae (Acari:
Tetranychidae) in Italy with a review of the literature. International Journal of Acarology
41: 97–99.
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