Resistance of melon to the carmine spider mite, Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Boisduval) (Acari: Tetranychidae)

Abstract

AbstractThe resistance of 32 melon lines to Tetranychus cinnabarinus (Boisduval) was studied in Israel. Average counts ten days after infestation, at the fourth-leaf stage, ranged from 3·5 to 57 mites per four leaf discs 1 cm in diameter; six lines had significantly low counts, ranging from 0·9 to 1·5 mites per four leaf discs. Fourteen of the lines were also tested at the flowering stage. No mites were found on two lines, and on a third line very few mites were observed. All three lines also had had significantly low mite counts at the fourth-leaf stage. The results suggest there is a definite variation among melon lines in resistance to mite infestation.