Evaluation of Natural and Factitious Food Sources for Pronematus ubiquitus on Tomato Plants

(McGregor) is a small iolinid mite that is capable of establishing on tomato plants. Once established, this mite has been shown to control both tomato russet mite, (Tryon) (Acari: Eriophyidae), and tomato powdery mildew ( L. Kiss). In the present study, we explored the effects of a number of alternative food sources on the oviposition rate in the laboratory. First, we assessed the reproduction on food sources that can encounter on a tomato crop: tomato pollen and powdery mildew, along with tomato leaf and L. In a second laboratory experiment, we evaluated the oviposition rate on two prey mites: the astigmatid L. (Acari: Carpoglyphidae) and the tarsonemid Cooreman (Acari: Tarsonemidae). Powdery mildew and did not support reproduction, whereas tomato pollen and did promote egg laying. However, pollen resulted in a higher oviposition in both experiments. In a greenhouse trial on individual caged tomato plants, we evaluated the impact of pollen supplementation frequency on the establishment of . Here, a pollen addition frequency of every other week was required to allow populations of to establish.