Comparative effectiveness of an integrated pest management system and other control tactics for managing the spider mite Tetranychus ludeni (Acari: Tetranychidae) on eggplant.

The effect of an integrated pest management (IPM) package, host plant resistance, Chrysoperla carnea predation and neem oil were evaluated against the spider mite Tetranychus ludeni on eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) fields in 1996 and 1997, by estimating the mite population density and yield levels. Compared with the IPM package (Panruti local, C. carnea plus neem oil), the standard (susceptible) eggplant variety (MDU1) grown by farmers and treated with an acaricide (dicofol) had significantly higher mite densities. The predator C. carnea was recorded in significantly lower numbers in plots with the standard variety compared to a resistant variety (panruti local) with the full IPM package. Eggplant yield level and crop value were highest in the IPM-treated plots followed by Panruti local plus C. carnea. The standard variety treated with an acaricide had the lowest yield and value. These results indicated the usefulness of host plant resistance complemented by biorational control agents, such as C. carnea and neem oil, that these are suitable components in an IPM programme for managing the spider mite in endemic areas.