Fundamentals of Applied Acarology

473 Pages·2016·13.02 MB·English

by  Manjit Singh Dhooria (auth.)

Manjit  Singh Dhooria
Fundamentals
of Applied
Acarology
Fundamentals of Applied Acarology
Manjit Singh Dhooria
Fundamentals of Applied
Acarology
Manjit Singh Dhooria
Department of Entomology
Punjab Agricultural University
Ludhiana, Punjab, India
ISBN 978-981-10-1592-2 ISBN 978-981-10-1594-6 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-981-10-1594-6
Library of Congress Control Number: 2016953350
© Springer Science+Business Media Singapore 2016
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The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #22-06/08 Gateway East, Singapore 189721,
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My Wife: Rajinder Dhooria
My Sons:
1. Ramanjot Dhooria: Reena, Sarah and Geet
2. Taranjot Dhooria: Saveena and Mannat
Preface
Acarology, the study of mites and ticks, is a subdiscipline of Zoology and is many
times considered in the field of Entomology (the study of insects). Mites and ticks
are distributed throughout the world and inhabit almost every ecosystem (both ter-
restrial and aquatic). More than 55,000 species of mites and ticks are already
described, and the number of undescribed species may reach about 20-fold as mite
fauna in most of the world regions are still poorly explored. Mites and ticks directly
affect humans as pests of different crops, fruit plants, vegetable crops and field
crops; as parasites of human beings, veterinary animals, poultry and pets; as pests
of stored grains and other products, mushrooms and cheese; and as parasites of
honeybees. Mite infestations are responsible for economic losses worth billions of
dollars in terms of reduced crop yields and lowered quality of produce. Some spe-
cies of mites serve as vectors of various plant diseases. Ticks cause losses through
blood feeding and by transmitting Lyme disease, babesiosis, Rocky Mountain fever,
tularaemia and many other diseases among man and animals. House-dust mite aller-
gies and tick bite allergies are also common in many parts of the world.
Our knowledge of biology, ecology and the importance of mites has largely
expanded. At the same time, the actual and potential economic importance of these
creatures continues to grow worldwide, and their success in colonizing the new
regions makes them an ongoing quarantine threat in many parts of the world. There
is a great necessity of an up-to-date compilation of basic and applied knowledge on
mites and their proper management that is otherwise found scattered in a variety of
languages and literature throughout the world.
The present book, Fundamentals of Applied Acarology, is written keeping in
view nonavailability of any standard text dealing in different aspects of acarology at
one place. Separate chapters in this book are devoted to the importance of acarol-
ogy, historical account, acarine technology, morphology and anatomy of Acari; and
feeding, development and reproduction providing knowledge on diapause and water
balance. The book includes a recent classification of subclass Acari, and illustra-
tions are provided for the identification of 107 important families of Acari. The role
of mites in breaking down soil organic matter and affecting the quality of water
bodies is discussed in detail. Molecular developments in relation to mites and ticks
are also discussed. The role of mites and ticks in quarantines of plants and animals,
forensic/criminal investigations and the importance of accidental acarophagy are
also discussed in detail. Transmission of plant diseases by mite vectors is
vii
viii Preface
thoroughly discussed. Safe usage of pesticides based on their mode of action
(IRAC’s groups), development of acaricide resistance and measures to mitigate it
are also discussed.
Mite pests of fruit trees, vegetable plants, floricultural plants and field crops;
mite problems in greenhouses/polyhouses; mite problems encountered under
organic cultivation of plants and their management through minimum usage of pes-
ticides are emphasized in different chapters. The role of different predaceous mites
in controlling plant pests like thrips, aphids and scale insects is elaborately dis-
cussed. Biological control of phytophagous mites is discussed in detail.
Different animal parasitic mites and ticks are discussed from veterinary and
medical point of view.
At the end of each chapter, many important references for further reading and
electronic references (ER) in the form of YouTube links and other weblinks are
given to understand fully how these tiny creatures look like and behave, feed and
reproduce, the nature of damage they cause to plants and animals and measures to
mitigate them. At the end, a glossary of important taxonomic and integrated pest
management terms is provided which makes understanding the contents in a more
suitable way creating great lust for knowing more and more about these creatures.
I am grateful to the late Dr G.P. ChannaBasavanna and Dr S.K. Gupta, both
distinguished acarologists from India, who encouraged me and lent their moral
support for writing such a book on applied aspects. I also sincerely acknowledge
Dr Uri Gerson of Israel and Dr K. Ramaraju of India, eminent acarologists, for their
useful suggestions.
The knowledge contained in the book may prove very useful for ‘General and
Applied Acarology’ course for graduate and postgraduate levels, teachers and
researchers in entomology, pest control advisors, professional entomologists, pesti-
cide industry managers, policy planners and others having interest in mites and
ticks.
Ludhiana, India M.S. Dhooria
About the Book
Acarology, the study of mites and ticks, is a subdiscipline of Zoology and is many
times considered in the field of Entomology (the study of insects). Mites and ticks
are distributed throughout the world and inhabit almost every ecosystem (both ter-
restrial and aquatic) including grassland soils. More than 55,000 species of mites
and ticks are already described, but the number of undescribed species may reach
up to 20-fold as mite fauna in most of the world regions are still poorly explored.
Mites and ticks directly affect humans as pests of different crops, fruit plants, veg-
etable crops and field crops; as parasites of human beings, veterinary animals, poul-
try and pets; as pests of stored grains and other products, mushrooms and cheese;
and as parasites of honeybees. Mite infestations are responsible for economic losses
worth billions of dollars in terms of reduced crop yields and lowered quality of
produce. Many species of mites serve as vectors of various plant diseases; some
species of ticks cause losses through blood feeding and by transmitting Lyme dis-
ease, babesiosis, Rocky Mountain fever, tularaemia and many other diseases among
man and animals. House-dust mite allergies and tick bite allergies are also common
in many parts of the world.
The present book, Fundamentals of Applied Acarology, is written keeping in
view nonavailability of any standard text dealing in different aspects of acarology at
one place. Separate chapters in this book are devoted to the importance of acarol-
ogy; historical account; acarine technology; morphology and anatomy of Acari; and
feeding, development and reproduction providing knowledge on diapause and water
balance. Molecular developments in relation to mites and ticks are also discussed.
The role of mites and ticks in quarantines of plants and animals, forensic/crimi-
nal investigations, and the importance of accidental acarophagy are discussed in
detail in different chapters. Safe usage of pesticides based on their mode of action
(IRAC’s groups), development of acaricide resistance and measures to mitigate it
are also discussed.
Mite pests of fruit trees, vegetable plants, floricultural plants and field crops;
mite problems in greenhouses/polyhouses; mite problems encountered under
organic cultivation of plants and their management through minimum usage of pes-
ticides are emphasized in different chapters. The role of different predaceous mites
in controlling plant pests like thrips, aphids and scale insects is elaborately dis-
cussed. Biological control of phytophagous mites is discussed in detail.
ix
x About the Book
Different animal parasitic mites and ticks are discussed from veterinary and
medical point of view. Many YouTube and other weblinks explain in an interesting
way emphasizing the importance of salient information on these creatures and mea-
sures to combat them.
At the end of each chapter, many important references for further reading and
electronic references (ER) in the form of YouTube links and other weblinks are
given to understand fully how these tiny creatures look like and behave, feed and
reproduce, the nature of damage they cause to plants and animals and measures to
mitigate them. Weblinks will stimulate interest in the readers for more information
about different mites and ticks.
The knowledge contained in the book may prove as best material for ‘General
and Applied Acarology’ course for graduate and postgraduate levels, teachers and
researchers in entomology, pest control advisors, professional entomologists, pesti-
cide industry managers, policy planners and others having interest in mites and
ticks.
562-I Block, B.R.S. Nagar, M.S. Dhooria
Ludhiana-141012, Punjab, India
E-mail: [email protected]
Contents
1 Acarology and Its Importance ............................................................... 1
Further Reading ........................................................................................ 7
2 Historical Account of Acarology ............................................................ 9
2.1 D evelopments Prior to 1850 AD .................................................. 10
2.2 Progress During 1851–1950 AD .................................................. 10
2.3 Developments Since 1951............................................................ 11
2.4 OSU Acarology Development Programme .................................. 12
2.5 Acarological Societies ................................................................. 12
2.6 Journals in Acarology .................................................................. 16
2.7 Important Books Published .......................................................... 17
2.8 Conclusions .................................................................................. 18
Further Reading ........................................................................................ 18
3 Acarine Technology ................................................................................. 21
3.1 Collection ..................................................................................... 22
3.1.1 Plant-Associated Mites ................................................ 22
3.1.2 Water Mites .................................................................. 23
3.1.3 Soil Mites ..................................................................... 24
3.1.4 Parasitic Mites.............................................................. 25
3.1.5 Collection of Ticks ....................................................... 27
3.2 P reservation/Killing in a Medium ................................................ 28
3.3 Preparation (Slide Mounting) ...................................................... 28
3.3.1 Preparation for Water Mites ......................................... 29
3.3.2 Plant-Associated Mites ................................................ 29
3.3.3 Preparation of Ticks for Study ..................................... 30
3.3.4 Mounting Ticks on Glass Slides .................................. 31
3.3.5 Staining ........................................................................ 31
3.3.6 Slide Preparation Technique ........................................ 31
3.4 P reparation for Scanning Electron Microscopy Studies (SEM) .. 32
3.5 P reparation for Molecular Analysis Studies ................................ 33
3.6 Photomicrography of Mites ......................................................... 33
xi