Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) plants as new hosts of Tetranychus ludeni (Acari: Tetranychidae)

Plants of the Convolvulaceae family are included in 60 genera and approximately 1,930 species described in tropical and temperate regions (Wood et al., 2020) with 24 genera and about 400 species in Brazil (Simão-Bianchini et al., 2022). Convolvulaceae species are mainly weeds, but also with food, medicinal and ornamental importance (Simão-Bianchini et al., 2022). These species are annual or perennial herbaceous, climbing plants, vines, shrubs or small trees (Wood et al., 2017) growing in wet or dry places and often near roads, forest margins, swamps and rivers (Wood et al., 2020). Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) species are widely distributed in the phytogeographic domains of the Amazon, Atlantic Forest, Caatinga, Cerrado, Pampa and Pantanal of Brazil (Wood et al., 2017). Some of these plants reduce yield in different crops such as corn and sugarcane, being a priority for control at the end of the cropping cycle (Bhullar et al., 2012).

Tetranychus ludeni Zacher, 1913 (Acari: Tetranychidae), a polyphagous species in the tropics and with a worldwide distribution, infests more than 250 plant species (Gotoh et al., 2015). This mite occurs in the field during most of the year, especially in hotter and drier seasons (Silva et al., 2017). Damage by T. ludeni is due to suction of leaf content, characterized by small yellowish spots, followed by necrotic spots on the entire leaf that dry and fall (Soares et al., 2014), reducing the photosynthetic area (Soares et al., 2012).

Density, distribution and damage by pests vary with host plants (Castro et al., 2018, 2019). The dispersion and survival of T. ludeni in alternative hosts must be studied. The objective is to register non-cultivated plants of the Convolvulaceae family as new hosts for this mite in the region of Diamantina, Minas Gerais state, Brazil.

Plants of the genus Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) with leaf injuries by mites were observed in November 2021 (Figure 1) in the olericulture sector of the “Universidade Federal dos Vales do Jequitinhonha e Mucuri (UFVJM)” in Diamantina, Minas Gerais state, Brazil (18° 11' 48.23” S and 43° 34' 8.74” W, 1384 m.a.s.l.). Specimens of these plants were collected and its photographs sent to Dr. John Wood of the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford, OX1 3RB, UK. The material collected was deposited at the Herbarium of Biological Sciences of the UFVJM. Adults of the mite were collected and compared with specimens previously identified by Dr. Gilberto José de Moraes, taxonomist at the “Luiz de Queiroz” School of Agriculture (ESALQ) at the University of São Paulo (USP) in Piracicaba, São Paulo, Brazil.

Figure 1
Tetranychus ludeni Zacher, 1913 (Acari: Tetranychidae) (A) and populations of this mite on the adaxial (B) and abaxial (C) parts and damage on Ipomoea alba (D), Ipomoea cairica (E), Ipomoea hederifolia (F), Ipomoea indica (G) and Ipomoea purpurea (H) leaves in Diamantina, Minas Gerais state, Brazil.

Ipomoea alba L., Ipomoea cairica L., Ipomoea hederifolia L., Ipomoea indica Burm. and Ipomoea purpurea L., weeds of the Convolvulaceae family, were identified. The mite formed web colonies around the attacked plant, where its juveniles, adults and eggs were observed. Damage on plants of the genus Ipomoea started in the oldest leaves and then throughout the entire plant, including the youngest leaves, similar to that reported for this mite on Ipomoea batatas L. (Soares et al., 2012). The feeding of the mite causes small yellowish spots, followed by necrotic spots all over the leaves that dry and fall, potentially killing the plant (Soares et al., 2014).

The mite was identified as Tetranychus ludeni Zacher, 1913 (Acari: Tetranychidae) damaging plants of Ipomoea spp. (Figure 1). The identification of this mite on these plants contributes to explain its permanence in the field, increasing its damage potential in cultivated plants (Soares et al., 2012). Ipomoea alba, I. cairica and I. indica are important as ornamental plants and also in the medicine and food, the latter for I. alba (JBRJ, 2020). This record increases the number of T. ludeni host plants, which include Abelmoschus esculentus L. (Malvaceae), Citrullus lanatus Thunb. (Cucurbitaceae), Citrus limonia L. (Rutaceae), Gossypium hirsutum L. (Malvaceae), Pelargonium hortorum L.H. Bailey (Geraniaceae), Prunus domestica L. (Rosaceae), Physalis peruviana L. and Solanum melongena L. (Solanaceae) (Mendonça et al., 2011; Soares et al., 2014; Valadares et al., 2021).

Mite injuries reduced the photosynthetic area and vegetative growth of Ipomoea plants (Castro et al., 2019), whose species can be weeds in agricultural crops and with ecological impact in Brazil and in many countries, among the 10 most problematic ones (Rai and Singh, 2020). Ipomoea spp. infest crop plants including beans, corn, soybeans, sugarcane and winter cereals, hosting insects and diseases and decreasing harvesting efficiency, productivity and quality (Bhullar et al., 2012; Galon et al., 2021). The management of weeds of the genus Ipomoea spp. is based on herbicides, mainly those with the active principles atrazine, metribuzin and diuron (Kuester et al., 2015). However, intensive use of these products is increasing weed resistance and dependence by producers (Agostineto et al., 2016), increasing the need of jointly integrated weed and mite management strategies.

Tetranychus ludeni is reported for the first time feeding and damaging Ipomoea alba, Ipomoea cairica, Ipomoea hederifolia, Ipomoea indica and Ipomoea purpurea of the Convolvulaceae family. This record is important to understand the mechanisms affecting the survival, dispersion, establishment and damage by this pest in cultivated areas.

Acknowledgements

To “Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES), Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq), Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG)” and “Programa Cooperativo sobre Proteção Florestal (PROTEF) do Instituto de Pesquisas e Estudos Florestais (IPEF)” for support.

References

• AGOSTINETO, M.C., CARVALHO, L.B., ANSOLIN, H.H., ANDRADE, T.C.G.R. and SCHMIT, R., 2016. Sinergismo de misturas de glyphosate e herbicidas inibidores da PROTOX no controle de corda-de-viola. Revista de Ciências Agroveterinárias, vol. 15, no. 1, pp. 8-15. http://dx.doi.org/10.5965/223811711512016008
  » http://dx.doi.org/10.5965/223811711512016008
• BHULLAR, M.S., WALIA, U.S., SINGH, S., SINGH, M. and JHALA, A.J., 2012. Control of morningglories (Ipomoea spp.) in sugarcane (Saccharum spp.). Weed Technology, vol. 26, no. 1, pp. 77-82. http://dx.doi.org/10.1614/WT-D-11-00112.1
  » http://dx.doi.org/10.1614/WT-D-11-00112.1
• CASTRO, B.M.C., SOARES, M.A., ANDRADE JÚNIOR, V.C., FERREIRA, E.A., SERRÃO, J.E. and ZANUNCIO, J.C., 2019. Morphological characters of resistant and susceptible Ipomoea batatas genotypes to Tetranychus ludeni (Acari: tetranychidae). Phytoparasitica, vol. 47, no. 4, pp. 505-511. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12600-019-00752-z
  » http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s12600-019-00752-z
• CASTRO, B.M.C., SOARES, M.A., ANDRADE JÚNIOR, V.C., SANTOS JÚNIOR, V.C., FONTES,WILCKEN, C.F., SERRÃO, J.E. and ZANUNCIO, J.C., 2018. Preference of red mite Tetranychus ludeni Zacher (Acari: Tetranychidae) to sweet potato genotypes. Brazilian Journal of Biology = Revista Brasileira de Biologia, vol. 79, no. 2, pp. 208-212. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1519-6984.176665 PMid:29947646.
  » http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1519-6984.176665
• GALON, L., GABIATTI, R.L., AGAZZI, L.R., WEIRICH, S.N., RADÜNZ, A.L., BRANDLER, D., BRUNETTO, L., SILVA, A.M.L., ASPIAZÚ, I. and PERIN, G.F., 2021. Competição entre híbridos de milho com plantas daninhas. South American Sciences, vol. 2, no. 1, e21101. http://dx.doi.org/10.17648/sas.v2i1
  » http://dx.doi.org/10.17648/sas.v2i1
• GOTOH, T., MORIYA, D. and NACHMAN, G., 2015. Development and reproduction of five Tetranychus species (Acari: Tetranychidae): Do they all have the potential to become major pests? Experimental & Applied Acarology, vol. 66, no. 4, pp. 453-479. http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10493-015-9919-y PMid:26014647.
  » http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10493-015-9919-y
• JARDIM BOTÂNICO DO RIO DE JANEIRO - JBRJ, 2020 [viewed 30 December 2022]. Flora do Brasil 2020 [online]. Rio de Janeiro: JBRJ. Available from: http://reflora.jbrj.gov.br/reflora/listaBrasil/FichaPublicaTaxonUC/FichaPublicaTaxonUC.do?id=FB7021
  » http://reflora.jbrj.gov.br/reflora/listaBrasil/FichaPublicaTaxonUC/FichaPublicaTaxonUC.do?id=FB7021
• KUESTER, A., WILSON, A., CHANG, S.M. and BAUCOM, R.S.A., 2015. Resurrection experiment finds evidence of both reduced genetic diversity and potential adaptive evolution in the agricultural weed Ipomoea purpurea. Molecular Ecology, vol. 25, no. 18, pp. 4508-4520. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mec.13737 PMid:27357067.
  » http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/mec.13737
• MENDONÇA, R.S., NAVIA, D., DINIZ, I.R. and FLECHTMANN, C.H.W., 2011. South American spider mites: new hosts and localities. Journal of Insect Science, vol. 11, no. 1, pp. 121. http://dx.doi.org/10.1673/031.011.12101 PMid:22224405.
  » http://dx.doi.org/10.1673/031.011.12101
• RAI, P.K. and SINGH, J.S., 2020. Invasive alien plant species: their impact on environment, ecosystem services and human health. Ecological Indicators, vol. 111, e106020. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.106020 PMid:32372880.
  » http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2019.106020
• SILVA, L.A.D., SOARES, M.A., AGUIAR, L.M., FERREIRA, C.C., VIEIRA, E.R.D. and SANTOS, J.B.D., 2017. Aspectos biológicos de Tetranychus ludeni Zacher, 1913 (Acari: Tetranychidae) alimentados com folhas de batata-doce pulverizadas com o 2, 4-D. Arquivos do Instituto Biológico, vol. 84, e0822015. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1808-1657000822015
  » http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1808-1657000822015
• SIMÃO-BIANCHINI, R., FERREIRA, P.P.A. and VASCONCELOS, L.V., 2022 [viewed 30 December 2022]. Ipomoea. In: JARDIM BOTÂNICO DO RIO DE JANEIRO - JBRJ, ed. Flora do Brasil 2020 [online]. Rio de Janeiro: JBRJ. Available from: http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/reflora/floradobrasil/FB7021
  » http://floradobrasil.jbrj.gov.br/reflora/floradobrasil/FB7021
• SOARES, M.A., CASTRO, B.M.C., ANDRADE-JÚNIOR, V.C., ASSIS-JÚNIOR, S.L. and PIRES, E.M., 2012. Attack of two new spider mites on sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas) in Diamantina, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Brazilian Journal of Biology = Revista Brasileira de Biologia, vol. 72, no. 4, pp. 971-971. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1519-69842012000500029 PMid:23295532.
  » http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/S1519-69842012000500029
• SOARES, M.A., LUAN PEREIRA, S., GODANO, M., CASTRO, B.M.C., REIS, T.C., AMATO MOREIRA, R. and CRUZ, M.C.M., 2014. Lesiones de Tetranychus ludeni (Acari: Tetranychidae) en el cultivo de Physalis peruviana (Solanaceae) in Diamantina, Brasil. Revista Colombiana de Entomologia, vol. 40, no. 2, pp. 187-189.
• VALADARES, N.R., SOARES, M.A., FERREIRA, E.A., MENDES-SÁ, V.G., AZEVEDO, A.M., PIRES, E.M. and LEITE, G.L.D., 2021. Behavior and development of Tetranychus ludeni Zacher, 1913 (Acari: Tetranychidae) and physiological stress in genetically modified cotton expressing Cry1F and Cry1Ac proteins. Brazilian Journal of Biology = Revista Brasileira de Biologia, vol. 81, no. 2, pp. 251-257. http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1519-6984.222652
  » http://dx.doi.org/10.1590/1519-6984.222652
• WOOD, J.R., MUÑOZ-RODRÍGUEZ, P., DEGEN, R. and SCOTLAND, R.W., 2017. New species of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) from South America. PhytoKeys, vol. 88, no. 88, pp. 1-38. http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.88.12891 PMid:29118645.
  » http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.88.12891
• WOOD, J.R., MUÑOZ-RODRÍGUEZ, P., WILLIAMS, B.R. and SCOTLAND, R.W.A., 2020. foundation monograph of Ipomoea (Convolvulaceae) in the New World. PhytoKeys, vol. 143, pp. 1823. http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.143.32821 PMid:32577084.
  » http://dx.doi.org/10.3897/phytokeys.143.32821

Publication Dates

• Publication in this collection
  10 Feb 2023
• Date of issue
  2023

History

• Received
  25 Nov 2022
• Accepted
  21 Jan 2023