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

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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