Evaluation of the Effectiveness of GC-mite Acaricide in Control of Tetranychus urticae and Aculops lycopersici under Greenhouse Conditions

Application of botanical-pesticides especially during fructification reduces the health impacts of organic pesticides. Efficacy of different doses of GC-mite (0.3, 0.5 and 1 ml/lit water) with a short pre-harvest interval were investigated in the control of active stages of Tetranychus urticae and Aculops lycopersici in comparison with hexythiazox (10% EC( with the dose of 0.5 ml/lit and abamectin (1.8% EC) with the dose of 0.75 ml/lit on greenhouse cucumber and tomato. Experiment was conducted in a Randomized Complete block design with six treatments and three replications in a long row of 10 to 20 meters of planted crops. Treatments were sprayed when an average of 5 spider mites/under side of cucumber leaf and 10 eriophyid mites/cm2 in the middle portion of underside of tomato leaves were observed. Sampling of live mites was done randomly by collection of 30 leaves from each host plant at the interval periods of one day before and 1day (except cucumber), 3, 7, 14 days after treatments. Statistical analyses of mortality percentage of the treatments were performed by SAS software and grouping was performed by Duncan multiple range test. Although mean mortality% of T. urticae between treatments was not statistically significant (p.0.05) at different intervals, but the mortality% of 0.3 and 0.5 ml/lit of GC-mite increased from 71.48% and 66.66% at day 3 to more than 98% at day 14. The effects of 0.3 and 1 ml/lit of GC-mite in control of A. lycopersici also recorded an increase in mortality% from 60.82% and 67.11% at one day after spraying to 87.08% and 92.90% at 7 days after spraying and decreased at 14th day after spraying. The most suitable and effective spraying time of various doses of GC-mite is at the beginning of the activity of both the pests’ population in the greenhouses.