Effect of different ornamental pepper pollens on the development and reproduction of Amblyseius swirskii (Acari: Phytoseiidae)

Chilli thrips, Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood (Thysanoptera: Thripidae), a newly introduced pest in the United States is well known to cause significant economic damage on a variety of crops worldwide.  In Florida, it has emerged as a key pest of ornamental and vegetable crops. Chemical control is still considered as a primary mode for its control. The rationale behind the current study was to assess if the phytoseiid mite, Amblyseius swirskii (Athias-Henriot), a commercially available predator of S. dorsalis can survive and reproduce by solely feeding on a variety of ornamental pepper pollens. In order to evaluate nutritional value and the possible impact on longevity, daily rate of oviposition and total egg deposition was assessed. A. swirskii was reared on pollen collected from four ornamental pepper varieties, viz. Red Missile, Masquarade, Black Pearl and Explosive Ember - potential banker plant candidates for ornamental nurseries. A. swirskii was able to survive, develop and oviposit on all the ornamental pepper pollen varieties tested and the two standard controls (commercially available olive pollen and S. dorsalis). No significant differences were observed among the different diet treatments for the following A. swirskii biological parameters: mean longevity (22.7-24.2 d), larvae to eggs (11.8 -12.6 d) and duration of adult stage (12.4-13.2 d). Amongst the pepper pollens, the highest daily rate of oviposition (~1.07 eggs/female/day) and total oviposition (~10.23 eggs/female) was recorded on the Red Missile variety. Results from this study can aide in the selection of suitable pepper varieties as candidate banker plants for establishment of A. swirskii in ornamental nurseries and can boost the management strategies being used against S. dorsalis and other pest species.