Effect of treated bell pepper with Trichoderma harzianum and jasmonic acid on life table parameters of predator mite, Amblyseius swirskii feeding on western flower thrips

The predator mite, Amblyseius swirskii Athias and Henrioti, is one of the effective and polyphagous biological control agents that feed on different pest species such as thrips, whiteflies, and two spotted spider mites. Currently, it is used to control western flower thrips (WFT), Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), and some other insect pests but in times of outbreak and high density of the pest population, its efficiency is reduced and it is necessary to use complementary methods to control the pest damage. In this study, the effect of treated bell peppers (Lorca variety) with Jasmonic acid (0.5 mm), Trichoderma harzianum Rifai T22 (10 ml per plant from 107 spore/ml suspension), and the combination of Jasmonic acid with T. harzianum (JA + Th) was investigated on the biological characteristics and life table parameters of A. swirskii reared on WFT the. The experiment was carried out with 80 replications for each treatment in constant environmental conditions (25 ± 1°C, 65 ± 5% RH, and 16:8 h light: dark). Based on the results, the longest (9.41 days) and shortest (7.94 days) developmental time of immature stages were obtained in JA + Th treatment and control, respectively. The shortest female adult longevity (24.92 days) were also observed in JA + Th treatment. All the life table parameters showed a significant difference. The highest and lowest values of the intrinsic rate of increase (r), net reproductive rate (R0) and, finite rate of increase (λ) were estimated as 0.1688 and 0.1300 day–1, 24.49 and 11.71 (eggs/individual), and 1.184 and 1.139 day–1 for control and JA + Th treatment, respectively. The results of this study could be used in the application of A. swirskii with JA + Th treatment in integrated management programs of WFT..