Biology and Management of Eriophyid Mites in Turfgrass

Abstract

Eriophyid mites (Acari: Eriophyidae) are challenging to manage in turfgrass because their small size hinders visual detection, and conventional management approaches are not consistently effective. They induce growth distortions, which lead to poor stolon and root development and eventual plant death. Aceria cynodoniensis Sayed and Aceria slykhuisi Hall live beneath leaf sheaths, and cause crowded and stunted leaves, and bunched shoot proliferation. Aceria zoysiae (Baker, Kono, & O’Neill) and Aceria cynodonis Wilson live on exposed plant surfaces and cause twisted leaf tips to get caught in folded, older leaves, producing an arched terminal leaf. Because eriophyid mites are challenging to see directly, scouting utilizes the above symptoms but not as indicators of mite abundance. Mite-induced injuries can ruin the appearance of turf on golf course fairways with high aesthetic standards. Mite infestation weakens the turf, which slows down recovery from wear on golf courses and athletic fields and leads to production losses on sod farms when the sod breaks during harvest. Available miticides are ineffective to marginally effective. For this reason, cultural control options, such as reduced fertilizer application or scalping, form the cornerstone of a management program where chemical control is complementary. Currently, incomplete ecological knowledge about turfgrass-infesting eriophyid mites hinders the development of an effective integrated management program. Better information about plant–mite interactions could provide insight that leads to developing management tactics that promote resistance and control of these enigmatic pests. This review summarizes current knowledge on life history, ecology, and management strategies for turfgrass-infesting eriophyid mites.