Population growth rate of dry bulb mite, Aceria tulipae (Keifer) (Acariformes: Eriophyidae) on agriculturally important plants and implications on taxonomic status

Authors: KIEDROWICZ, AGNIESZKA - Adam Mickiewicz University; Rector, Brian; LOMMEN, SUZANNE - University Of Fribourg; KUCZYNSKI, LECHOSLAW - Warsaw University Of Life Sciences; SZYDLO, WIKTORIA - Adam Mickiewicz University; SKORACKA, ANNA - Adam Mickiewicz University

Submitted to: Experimental and Applied Acarology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/30/2017
Publication Date: 9/15/2017
Citation: Kiedrowicz, A., Rector, B.G., Lommen, S., Kuczynski, L., Szydlo, W., Skoracka, A. 2017. Population growth rate of dry bulb mite, Aceria tulipae (Keifer) (Acariformes: Eriophyidae) on agriculturally important plants and implications on taxonomic status. Experimental and Applied Acarology. 73(1):1-10.

Interpretive Summary: The results of this study demonstrate the differences in ability of DBM to infest different cultivated plants belonging to the families Aliaceae and Poaceae. Data on host specificity of various DBM populations is essential to estimate their respective threats to crop production and their invasive potential, allowing development of control strategies for this pest mite species. Moreover, this study has advanced basic research on this species, providing new data on methods of efficiently rearing DBM. In addition, it was found that DBM populations from Poland and the Netherlands have very similar mtDNA COI sequences suggesting that in spite of the observed differences in their host performance (results in this study and Skoracka et al. 2014), they are closely related members of a single species. Future studies of DBM host specificity (e.g. testing a wider range of host plant species) and DBM population genetic structure are warranted.

Technical Abstract: Dry bulb mite (DBM), Aceria tulipae, is an economically important mite with a worldwide distribution and a broad host range. As a generalist, it is the most important eriophyoid mite attacking bulbous plants such as garlic, onion, and tulip. To date, DBM has been recorded on host plants belonging to the families Liliaceae, Amaryllidaceae, Melanthiaceae and Asparagaceae. However, a precise understanding of DBM host range is lacking since it largely based on casual records of mites on plants, some of which may include accidental hosts. Moreover, the possible existence of cryptic species has not been considered. In this study the hypothesis that DBM may be a complex of distinct genetic lineages or cryptic species was tested by comparing the common barcode sequence marker mtDNA COI of specimens from several populations originating from the Netherlands and Poland. The population growth rate of DBM on seven agriculturally important plant species and on different parts of the garlic plant was also experimentally assessed in the laboratory. The results did not support the first hypothesis, and they indicated that DBM populations originating from Poland and Netherland shared essentially the same genome. In addition, they indicated that DBM reached the highest population growth rate on leek and also had great success on garlic, chive and red onion, whereas white onion and wheat were not colonized by the mites. Answering the question whether DBM is a single polyphagous species rather than the complex of cryptic lineages is of particular importance since the misidentification of pests may lead to ineffective control strategies. Moreover, the knowledge of DBM host range is essential for assessing risk to crops.