Coconut mite populations and levels of damage to 2-, 4- and 10-month old Maypan and Red Malayan Dwarf nuts in Low and High Rainfall Zones of eastern Jamaica were evaluated. Damage due to the coconut mite was assessed by quantifying scarring of the nut surface, size reduction and copra yield. It was found that coconut mite populations were the same in the two rainfall zones but differed between Maypan and Red Malayan Dwarf varieties. More Maypan nuts were infested with coconut mites than Red Malayan Dwarf nuts. More 2-month old Red Malayan Dwarf nuts were attacked than 2-month old Maypan nuts while more 10-month old Maypan nuts were colonized than 10-month old Red Malayan Dwarf nuts. In both varieties, a greater percentage of 4-month old nuts had > 1,000 coconut mites than 2- and 10-month old nuts. Nuts in the Low Rainfall Zone had greater percentage of coconut mite damage than nuts in the High Rainfall Zone. Damage was more severe on Red Malayan Dwarf than on the Maypan nuts. The water content of Red Malayan Dwarf nuts declined with increased coconut mite damage but no relationship was found between the water content of Maypan nuts and coconut mite damage. Nut size and copra yield declined significantly with increased coconut mite damage. Total copra yield loss was only about 3% in Maypan and 6% in Red Malayan Dwarf nuts because most of the nuts had < 30% surface area damage. / Master of Science

Bibliography : leaves 150-158. / viii, 158 leaves, [7] leaves of plates : ill. (some col.) ; 30 cm. / Title page, contents and abstract only. The complete thesis in print form is available from the University Library. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Adelaide, Dept. of Crop Protection, 1996?

Submitted by (edna.saturno@ufrpe.br) on 2016-11-24T13:35:28Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Erika Pessoa Japhyassu Britto.pdf: 2779069 bytes, checksum: 65ed4f9d30ce091e13acb79846c62eeb (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-11-24T13:35:28Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Erika Pessoa Japhyassu Britto.pdf: 2779069 bytes, checksum: 65ed4f9d30ce091e13acb79846c62eeb (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-02-01 / Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq / A new genus and a new species of Phyllocoptini Eriophyidae, Shrekin graviolae Britto and Navia, from Annona muricata L., and a Nothopodini Eriophyidae, Cosella decorata Britto and Navia, from the Malpighia emarginata Sess and Moc. were described from females and males. Furthermore, Aceria n.sp., an Aceriini Eriophyidae from Caesalpinia echinata Lam. with a complex life cycle is described. Observations on the biology of the last species are presented. Whole life cycle develops under patches of webbings built by the deutogyne on the surface of the leaves. The immature stages development for deutogynes lasts 16-17 days, at 26°C, 12h photophase and 60% relative humidity. Periods of egg incubation, larval and nymphal stages were 5-6, 6-7 and 5-6 days, respectively. Individual "nest" sizes ranged from 0.07-3.2 mm2 and their relative numbers of females was always 75-76% of deutogynes and 24-25% of protogynes. This is the first case of a deuterogynous eriophyoid mite with two forms of males from the tropics. / Foram descritos um novo gênero e uma nova espécie de Phyllocoptini Eriophyidae, Shrekin graviolae Britto & Navia, em Annona muricata L., e nova espécie de Nothopodini Eriophyidae, Cosella decorata Britto & Navia, em Malpighia emarginata Sess & Moc. e uma espécie de Acerini Eriophyidae, Aceria n.sp., de Caesalpinia echinata Lam., a qual apresenta um ciclo de vida complexo. Observações biológicas sobre Aceria n. sp. foram feitas durante um ano. O ciclo de vida destes ácaros ocorre sob teias construídas pela deutogine sobre as folhas. A duração dos estágios imaturos da deutogine de Aceria n. sp. é de 16-17 dias, a 26 °C, 12 h de fotofase e 60% de umidade relativa. O período de incubação do ovo foi de 5-6 dias e a duração dos estágios de larva e ninfa, 6-7 dias e 5-6 dias, respectivamente. Observou-se que os “ninhos” podem apresentar tamanhos variando entre 0,07 a 3,20 mm2 e são compostos de aproximadamente 75,0 a 76,1% de deutogines e 23,9 a 25,0% de protogines. Este é o primeiro caso de um ácaro eriofídeo comdeuteroginia com duas formas de machos nos trópicos.

Aloe mites are herbivores of the genus Aloe (ALOACEAE) and are associated with hyperplastic growth in various aloe species, but the biochemistry of this interaction is poorly understood. In an effort to characterize plant defense responses to herbivory in the genus Aloe, a salivary extract was isolated from aloe mites (Aceria aloinis Keifer) and its bioactivity was tested using a hypocotyl elongation assay. Subsequently, Aloe striata plants were treated with jasmonic acid (JA), salicylic acid (SA), and the mite salivary extract. Using water and methanol, compounds of different polarity were extracted from aloe tissues that had been frozen and crushed at 4, 12, and 24h after treatment. Extracts were analyzed by HPLC and three compounds were found. One of these compounds was SA (mean concentration of 4µg/mL), and this is the first time that this aloe species has been found to produce SA. Two additional peaks of unknown identity were observed in JA- and SA-treated plants. These results suggest that A. striata may in fact undergo a JA-mediated change in secondary metabolism as part of a plant defense response.