[Control effects of Mikania micrantha alcohol extract on citrus red mite Panonychus citri]

This study showed that spraying 0.2 and 0.4 g x L(-1) Mikania micrantha alcohol extracts on Panonychus citri could significantly decrease the survival rates of P. citri eggs, larvae and nymphs, and 0.1 g x L(-1) M. micrantha alcohol extract could also significantly decrease the survival rates of larvae and nymphs. In a no-choice test, both the fecundity and the longevity of female P. citri fed on the leaves treated with all three test concentrations 0.1, 0.2 and 0.4 g x L(-1) of M. micrantha alcohol extracts were significantly reduced, compared with those fed on alcohol-treated leaves. In a field experiment, the efficacy of M. micrantha alcohol extracts at three test concentrations was compared with water, alcohol, and 15% Pyridaben, an acaricide widely used in commercial control of red mite in sweet orange orchards. The survival rates of P. citri eggs, larvae and nymphs in all three M. micrantha treatments were lower than the control, and the interference index of population control (IIPC) was 0.518, 0.292 and 0.277, respectively, while the IIPC for the Pyridaben treatment was 0.945, with a control efficacy of only 5.52%. M. micrantha extract had an increased control effect with its increasing concentration, and was safer to natural enemies than 15% Pyridaben. The leaves in the three M. micrantha treatments were less damaged, and their color was much deeper than that of the other three treatments. Therefore, M. micrantha alcohol extract provided a better control of citrus red mite populations than Pyridaben.