Life history traits of the yellow mite, Polyphagotarsonemus latus Banks (Acari: Tarsonemidae), feeding on five jute cultivars

The yellow mite Polyphagotarsonemus latus Banks (Acari: Tarsonemidae) is a destructive pest, affecting fiber-producing jute plants in Bangladesh. Development, survivorship and adult reproduction of this pest on five common jute cultivars (Corchorus capsularis: CVL-1, BJC-7370, BJC-2197, C. olitorius: O-795, O-9897) were investigated under laboratory conditions and life-table parameters were estimated. Developmental periods from egg to adult emergence ranged from 2.7 to 3.9 days with the sex ratio (proportion of females) being 0.71 to 0.78. Adult longevity varied from 8.8 to 5.4 days for both females and males. Immature survivorship ranged from 84.4 to 97.9 % with the lowest on CVL-1. Daily fecundity was highest (4.2) on BJC-7370 while lifetime fecundity was greatest on O-795 cultivar. The jute cultivars did not show any significant effects on the lifespan of male adults, but did on female adult performance such as reproduction, longevity and life table parameters. Based on developmental period, doubling time and r_m value, BJC-7370 supported the fastest population growth, and O-9897 and CVL-1 cultivars the slowest population growth. These results could be possibly related to the resistance potential to this important herbivore pest. Additional investigations should explore the nutritional and digestion-inhibition mechanisms that account for the differences in performance of the phytophagous mites on jute cultivars.