Oribatid mites as potential predators of the root knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognita

Year 2019, Volume: 1 Issue: 2, 123 - 128, 31.07.2019

Nithinya Ramakrıshnan Ramani Neravathu

Abstract

Oribatid mites,
which represent the most dominant group among the soil mites, have considerable
diversity in their feeding habits. Nematodes quite often serve as the most
favoured prey choice for oribatids, a situation which could be better exploited
in biocontrol strategies. Hence the present study was carried out to explore
the predatory habits of selected species of oribatid mites on a notorious
nematode pest, namely the root knot nematode, Meloidogyne incognitia, under laboratory conditions. The study was
commenced by collecting soil samples from various localities of Kannur and
Malappuram districts of Kerala, India in the period March, 2014 to February,
2015. Among the various species of oribatid mites extracted, three Scheloribates species, viz. Scheloribates (Scheloribates) praeincisus
(Berlese, 1910), Scheloribates fimbriatus
africanus Wallwork, 1964 and Scheloribates (Scheloribates) latoincisus Hammer (1973), were selected
for studies of their predatory potential on the second stage juveniles (J2 juveniles)
of M. incognita. During
feeding experiments each of the three mite species was offered 20 J2 juveniles
of M. incognita in petri dishes
containing 2% sterilized water agar. Observations were made on the feeding
behavior of the species, including rate of consumption, for comparative
evaluation. The per day percentage consumption of J2 juveniles by S. (S.) praeincisus, S. fimbriatus africanus and
S. (S.) latoincisus were 57.00 ± 7.3598, 60.00 ± 6.3738 and 57.00±5.9675,
respectively. Statistical analysis following one way ANOVA and Turkey’s HSD
Post Hoc Test, showed no significant difference in the consumption rates among
the species (P = 0.452 ≥ 0.05). It is concluded that the three Scheloribates spp. have equivalent
potential to suppress root knot nematode populations.

Keywords

Oribatid mites, predation, root knot nematode, Scheloribates, biocontrol

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