Mycetoglyphus qassimi and Tyrophagus putrescentiae, Two Acarid Mites Recovered from Palm Fields, Feeding on Root-Knot Nematode Meloidogyne javanica in Al-Qassim Area, Saudi Arabia

Two acarid mites Mycetoglyphus qassimi Fouly and Al-Rehiayani, and Tyrophagus putrescentiae (Schrank) recovered fromdate palm field in Al-Qassim area, Saudi Arabia were tested againstthe root-knot nematode Meloidogyne javanica under lab conditions.Also, life history of both mite species was studied under controlledconditions of 27ºC and 70% RH. The two mites are considered omnivorouswhere they fed on three different food sources tested, eggmasses M. javanica, date palm pollen Pheonex dactylifera L., and fungalpropagules of Aspergillus niger. Acarid mites successfully completedtheir life span feeding on all types of food. Feeding on eggmasses of M. javanica accelerated the development. Some hypopalstages were observed in rearing units of M. qassimi. Also, males ofboth species reached adulthood before females where they had ashorter longevity than females. A diet of M. javanica eggs was themost suitable food and supported the highest net reproductive rate Ro(fecundity) for M. qassimi while pollen grains were the best for T. pu-trescentiae. The intrinsic rate of natural increase (rm) was at its highestlevel when M. qassimi and T. putrescentiae were provided withegg masses of nematode and followed by pollen and fungi. Similartrends were observed with the finite rates of increase (erm). Resultsshowed that Mycetoglyphus mite could be a good biological controlagent against egg masses of M. javanica.