Effects of NaCl-stressed citrus plants on life-history parameters of Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae)

Tetranychus urticae is an important pest of citrus, especially lemon and mandarin, under Mediterranean climate. Factors leading to this problem are poorly understood, but saline stress is suspected to contribute to spider mite outbreaks. In this study, the effect of NaCl concentration in nutritive solutions used to water potted young mandarin trees on population growth of T. urticae reared on leaf discs obtained from these plants was investigated. Although the differences observed between treated (5, 10, 30 and 60 mM NaCl) and control groups were in most cases not significant, when all biological parameters calculated were combined to obtain Ro, T and r(m), remarkable differences appeared, and a concentration-dependent effect was detected. Although high salt concentrations negatively affected T. urticae, at the lowest concentration tested the r(m) value was significantly higher than at the water control and this may contribute to the observed field explosions of T. urticae.