Comparison of lethal and synergistic effects of abamectin and liquid sulfur on the fig spider mite, Eotetranychus hirsti (Acari: Tetranychidae) in vitro

The fig spider mite, Eotetranychus hirsti Pritchard and Baker (Acari: Tetranychidae), is one of the most important pests of figs in Estahban city, which has the highest production of figs in Iran; Therefore, it is important to minimize the damage to this pest. It is important to choose the proper pesticide that has the highest mortality at the lowest possible concentration, has no adverse residue on the fig fruit, and has little environmental damage. In this regard, during 2016-2017, the acaricidal effect of abamectin, liquid sulfur, and a mixture of them was studied in order to determine LC50 and their synergistic effect in a completely randomized design including six treatments and four replications in vitro. This study was carried out at 28 ± 2°C, 55 ± 5 RH, and 16L:8D hours photoperiods. The results indicated a very strong synergistic effect in the application of a lethal concentration of zero percent liquid sulfur with very low amounts of abamectin, 0.06, 0.08, 0.1, 0.2 and 0.5 microliters per liter. Also, due to the significance of the LC50 ratio related to abamectin (The lack of number 1 in the confidencelimits), liquid sulfur, and the mixture of them, it is possible to understand the different effects of these compounds and due to the high mixing efficiency (reduction of 71.54 times in LD50).