Comparative Bio-efficacy of Different Acaricides on the Population of Two-spotted Spider Mites in Apple Trees

Plant mites are considered serious pests of fruit trees due to the considerable damage they inflict. In recent years, pesticides have been increasingly used for the control of plant mites. However, the use of pesticides can also have negative effects on the environment, human health, and non-target organisms. In this study, the effects of treatments with Abamectin, Propargite, Dicofol, Deltamethrin, Garlic-soap solution, and Tobacco-pepper solution on apple trees were investigated at the farm of the Faculty of Agriculture, Herat University. The experiment was conducted in a completely randomized block design with three replications, including a control. The percentage of corrected mite mortality was calculated after 3, 7, and 14 days of treatment application. The results indicated significant differences between treatments on all counting dates. The impact of Abamectin treatment resulted in mortalities of 79%, 90% and 94% after 3, 7, and 14 days after spraying, respectively. In the Propargite treatment, mite mortality was 71%, 84% and 90% after 3, 7, and 14 days, showing no significant difference from the treatment Abamectin. The impact of Dicofol treatment resulted in mortalities of 75% after 14 days of spraying. However, Deltamethrin treatments had mortalities of 77% after 14 days, which significantly differed from the first two treatments. Notably, in the natural substance treatments (Garlic soap, Tobacco-pepper), mite mortalities were more than 60% 14 days after spraying, suggesting that low-risk methods can create unfavorable conditions for mites, leading to a substantial reduction in population. Considering the minimal impact of these substances on natural enemies can benefit from these low-risk approaches in integrated pest management. This study was carried out to assess and compare the impacts of chemical and organic pesticides in managing the infestation of two-spotted spider mites.