Two-spotted spider mite: a growing problem in cotton cultivation

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In recent years, among the pests, the spider mite (Tetranychus urticae - Tetranychidae) was the one that grew most in importance in this cultivation system adopted in the Brazilian cerrado. In cotton, the two-spotted mite has always been considered the main pest mite in Brazil. The occurrence of the two-spotted mite in cotton cultivation is characteristic, with an initial infestation always in patches, with the mites feeding on the underside of the leaves, in the middle third of the plants. Due to the feeding process, the symptoms on the underside of the leaves are whitish or silvery spots, and yellowish spots appear on the top of the leaves, which become reddish-brown over time. In severe attacks, necrosis occurs, followed by drying and falling of the leaves. Damage can also occur to the fruits, which become hardened and dry, turning brown. In recent studies, carried out by the Instituto Mato-grossense do Algodão, differences of up to 60 arrobas of seed cotton per hectare were found, comparing areas infested with spider mites with and without acaricide management.

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By Jacob Crosariol Netto e Guilherme Gomes Rolim (Instituto Mato Grosso do Algodão); Raphael de Campos Castilho (Esalq/USP); Eduardo Moreira Barros (Barros Plant Protection); It is Daniela de Lima Viana (Comdeagro)

Article published in issue 297 of Cultivar Grandes Culturas Magazine