DETANMITE

Detection and analysis inter- and intra-specific variability of common pest and predatory mites using new molecular and imaging tools

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'The plant parasitic mites represent major pests in agriculture throughout the world. Widespread use of the insecticides and acaricides can cause serious ecological problems. These chemicals kill non-target organisms including predators, and threaten human health. The major threats include residual chemicals on crops, as well as the evolution of resistance to these chemicals among spider mite populations. However, the exceedingly high levels of pesticide residues in fruit and vegetable products may pose significant problems. The EU Parliament and of the Council decided reducing the risks and impacts of pesticides on human health and the environment and promoting the use of IPM and of alternative approaches or techniques such as non-chemical alternatives to pesticides. For improving effective mite control, the key factor is new diagnostic methods which include taxonomic way, new techniques, and coordination of the studies between mite and host relationship and predator- prey associations. Addditionally, alternatives to the use of pesticides are needed due to their unexpected negative effects, and biological control provides the one of the best options. Predatory mites, Phytoseiidae, are excellent biological control agents that suppress spider mites as well as other pests in agricultural areas. The main aim of this research is professional European scientist capacity building through exchanging young scientist about new, classical and rapid diagnostic methods for tetranychid and phytoseiid mites based on both molecular markers (DNA) and comprehensive morphological review using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The partners of DetanMite have high level scientific expertise about plant parasitic and predatory mites and good complementarily in competences and skills. This project brings together a very strong team who will produce solutions to agricultural and environmental problems due to supporting biological control in agricultural production of EU and the world.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Parasitic mites are major pests globally but, as such, they also represent a source of biological control agents. DETANMITE, an EU-funded project, has developed state-of-the-art techniques to identify, characterise and classify this wide group of arthropods.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Parasitic mites present both problems and benefits to ecosystems globally. They are major agricultural pests and controlling them with insecticides can also pose a threat to ecosystems everywhere. However, predatory mites can be effectively used to control spider mite and thrips populations in agriculture.

DETANMITE scientists adopted an integrated approach to identify the mites in question and developed new, rapid diagnostic methods for tetranychid (plant parasites) and phytoseiid mites. The approach included the use of molecular markers and identification of isozymes combined with morphological study using the scanning electron microscope.

The researchers collected plant parasitic and predatory species from different ecological areas of South Africa and Turkey. Preparing about 1 100 slides of mites representing 29 taxa of agricultural importance, a new tetranychid mite species of the family Tetranychidae was collected from solanaceous plants. The specimens representing the following important mite families were identified from the plant families Solanaceae, Rosaceae and Oleaceae: Phytoseiidae, Tetranychidae, Tenuipalpidae, Tydeidae, Tarsonemidae and Eriophyoidea.

Workshops presented to more than 50 young researchers were one major source of dissemination. The mite specialists who led these workshops prepared a total of seven manuals on the plant-feeding mite families Tetranychidae, Tenuipalpidae and Tarsonemidae as well as predatory mite families Phytoseiidae and Tydeidae. An electron microscopy workshop was held to point out the diagnostic characters of the species of the families Phytoseiidae, Tetranychidae and Eriophyidae.

DETANMITE results were presented at the V. Turkish Plant Protection Congress in 2014. Two oral and two poster presentations summarised the work to almost 200 entomologists and acarologists. A total of seven papers submitted to scientific journals also represented a very strong dissemination effort.

The project work also resulted in future collaborations between the partners of the three countries (France, South Africa and Turkey). Originally, South African researchers were unknown to Turkish researchers, but formed a strong collaboration during the project.

DETANMITE has delivered groundbreaking data on the control of mites globally as well as for use as biological control agents. As such, the work promises to deliver solutions for related agricultural and environmental problems in agriculture worldwide.