Responses and feeding damage of redlegged earthmite (Acarina: Penthaleidae) to seedlings of resistant and susceptible subterranean clover varieties

Responses of redlegged earth mite (Halotydeus destructor) to seedlings of three resistant and four susceptible varieties of subterranean clover (Trifolium subterraneum) were measured after 7 or 14 days in pot experiments in the glasshouse. With a single variety/pot, mites on resistant varieties (DGI007, EP145SubD and Rutherglen B) produced 45% of the progeny that were produced by mites on the susceptible varieties (89838G, Dalkeith, Junee and 70088B). Number of stages completed and survival were little affected by varieties. Feeding damage (silvering of cotyledons) on resistant varieties averaged 45% of that on susceptible varieties with a single varietylpot. H. destructor fed less on resistant varieties in choice than in single variety experiments. On Junee and 89838G seedlings, feeding damage was similar to that on other susceptible varieties, but there were about half as many H. destructor progeny as on Dalkeith and 70088B. Mites laid more eggs on soil away from Junee plants, compared to the other three susceptible varieties. Different factors adversely affected the number of progeny produced on resistant varieties and on Junee.