Occurrence of mites (Acari) in culture media of selected species of seedlings in the container nursery Bielawy

The purpose of the study was to determine the abundance and the compo-sition of the group (Oribatida) in clods of roots of selected tree species - Scots pine, Norway spruce, Silver birch, Littleleaf linden - in the container nursery Bielawy. Field studies were carried out in 15 November 2012 on the open production area. Two samples of substrate (with roots) - from the upper (A) and the lower part (B) - were taken from the each clod. Volume of each sample amounted 50 cm3. Mites were extracted from the material in high gradient Tullgren funnels during 7 days and maintained in 70 % ethanol. Abundance of mites in the layer A ranged from 18.67 to 219.67 individuals · 100 cm-3 of substrate. These arachnids were more abundant in containers with hardwood species than in those with coniferous species. Abundance of mites in the lower layer of the culture media was 40 % lower than that in the layer A. Mites belonging to the orders: Actinedida, Mesostigmata and Oribatida were found in containers of all seedling species, in both layers of substrate. The most abundant were oribatid mites, and - among them - the Acaridida i ...

Soil mites (Acari) in the cultivation of strawberries mulched with wood chips

The aim of the research was to determine the population density and group composition of soil mites (Acari), and in particular the species composition of oribatid mites (Oribatida), on strawberry plantations mulched with wood chips. Field studies were conducted in the experimental field of the Institute of Horticulture in Skierniewice in 2011-2012. The plots selected for examination were mulched with wood chips as follows: ZC - chips without additives, ZT - chips with the addition of the biopreparation TSB (unidentified Gram-negative rod bacteria), ZG - addition of the biopreparation 7GII (unidentified Actinobacteria). The control plot was a patch of grass near the experimental plots.On the plots examined, the most abundant were oribatid mites, 16.11-18.84 thousand indiv.∙m-2. They accounted for 64.3% of all the mites in the grass patch, but significantly more of them (86.8-89.5%) were found on the strawberry plantations mulched with wood chips. A total of 17 species of oribatid mites were identified on the strawberry plots, but only 9 in the nearby patch of grass. Punctoribates punctum dominated in the grass-covered soil, while the dominant species in the mulched soil were Ramusella mihelcici or Tectocepheus velatus (depending on the experimental combination) .The high abundance and species diversity of ...

OCCURRENCE OF MITES (ACARI) IN THE SOIL OF A BLACKCURRANT PLANTATION AFTER APPLICATIONS OF ORGANIC MULCHES AND MYCORRHIZAL INOCULUM

The study was conducted in the Pomological Orchard of the Research Institute of Horticulture in Skierniewice on a plantation of blackcurrant cultivar ‘Tiben'. The following variants of the experiment were applied: control - NPK fertilization only, mulching with a peat substrate, shredded pine bark, sawdust of coniferous trees, bovine manure, plant compost, straw of cereals, and application of mycorrhizal inoculant MYKOFLOR. Mulching was performed each year in the spring in an amount of 25 dm3 per plot, and the inoculum was applied in an amount of 10 ml per shrub. Samples for acarological examinations were collected at 4 times, in the spring and autumn of successive seasons in 2012-2013. An increase in the overall density of mites, in comparison with the control surface, was observed after mulching the soil with sawdust of coniferous trees and plant compost. On all the plots, the communities of mites were dominated by mites of the order oribatid mites. For these mites, a statistically significant increase density was recorded after mulching the soil with sawdust of coniferous trees, bovine manure and plant compost. Mulching did not increase significantly the species diversity of oribatid mites. The soil of the blackcurrant plantation was found to be inhabited ...

OCCURRENCE OF ORIBATID MITES (ACARI: ORIBATIDA) ON THE SITES OF A NEW SPECIES HIEROCHLOË REPENS (HOST) P.B. IN BYDGOSZCZ AREA

The study was conducted within the Bydgoszcz limits and in the vicinity of city Bydgoszcz at seven different habitats of Hierochloë repens presence: city district Fordon - (1), (2), (3) and (4); city district Kapuściska - (5), and Białe Błota near Bydgoszcz - (6) and (7). Samples for acarological analyses were collected from the plots covered with Hierochloë repens in spring (27 May) and autumn (28 October) 2014.The density of oribatid mites on the sites with Hierochloë repens was highly variable. High density of these microarthropods was characteristic of plots (2) with Convolvulo-Brometum inermis, (5) with Arrhenatheretum elatioris and (7) covered with grassy herbaceous plants growing on fertile soils. Particularly low density of oribatid mites was observed for plot (3) with Koelerio-Corynephoretea and Festuco-Brometea communities and the lowest content of carbon and nitrogen in the soil. Depending on the site and sample collection time, four to 22 species of oribatid mites were identified. Statistical analysis (Mann-Whitney U test) of mean number of species per sample s identified two groups of plots for both sample collection terms characterized by either low (1.00-3.10) or high values (3.30-7.40) of this parameter. The first group included plots (1), (3) and (6), and the second ...