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ViewAttendees 9

Member Symposium

Mite-y Women in Acarology: Current Research from a Historical Perspective

6: The lychee erinose mite: Two years after its detection in Florida

On-Demand
On-Demand
The lychee erinose mite (LEM) (Aceria lithchii) is an important pest of lychee. This minute mite prefers to feed on young leaves (new flush), causing a hyperplasia of leaf trichomes, referred to as “erinea”. In 2018 LEM was detected in Lee County, Florida. Subsequently  LEM was detected in 13 other counties but not in the main commercial production area in South Florida. A quarantine was imposed on Lee County and eradication efforts are taking place throughout the State. Specimens from different places of the world were compared morphologically and molecularly. Specimens from Taiwan and Florida present identical ITS and rDNA segments, suggesting a common origin. We evaluated the efficacy of abamectin, a registered acaricide for use in lychee in Florida, to control existing mite infestations and protect the new flush of previously infested plants. We developed a postharvest treatment using a paraffinic oil dip to disinfest  fruit of LEM. Little information is available regarding the ecology of this pest and how it locates the new flush while being hidden inside the erinea. Therefore current research focuses on the chemical ecology of LEM. Volatiles from different plant structures have different ratios of two sesquiterpenes (ar-curcumene and zingiberene), which could be associated with the preference of LEM for the new flush. Presently we are testing the attraction of LEM to two ginger oils containing these two compounds. Results of this study can serve as the basis for development of a lure that can be used for control of this mite.