Research results in tomato crops
In three cage trials, Koppert investigated whether Amblyseius swirskii is able to establish itself in tomato crops. In the first trial, 20 to 30 female A. swirskii per plant were set out, plus 10 to 20 eggs on one leaf. Ephestia eggs were scattered on the release leaves plus a few random leaves in order to provide the predatory mites with food. Predatory mites were found on the release leaves for a few days, but the entire population had disappeared after two weeks.
After this initial result, A. swirskii suddenly appeared spontaneously in a cage trial in which cotton whitefly was present.
Next, two attempts were made to establish A. swirskii populations in tomato crops, one with glasshouse whitefly and one with cotton whitefly. Both trials gave the same result, comparable with the first trial. This time, A. swirskii was able to maintain itself on the tomato plants for a few weeks, but the number of predatory mites declined steadily. The spread to other leaves was also minimal.
Results
A. swirskii can maintain itself in tomato crops for a short period of time as long as it is released in large numbers
A. swirskii is not able to establish itself in tomato crops