Determination of Mite Fauna in Common Bean Plantations of Central Anatolia Region and Seasonal Population Fluctutation of Major Pest Species

Common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), a member of the Fabaceae family, are annual herbaceous plant originating from Central America. Common beans are among the most consumed legumes worldwide. There are numerous biotic and abiotic factors that affect common bean yield, with mites forming a significant group of pests among the biotic factors. The aim of this study, conducted in three different provinces from 2017 to 2018, was to identify mite species as biotic factors and monitor population fluctuations of major mite pest species on common beans. The identified plant pest mite species were Tetranychus urticae Koch, Tetranychus atlanticus (McGregor), Tetranychus solanacearum (Cobanoglu & Ueckermann, 2015), and Schizotetranychus asparagi (Oudemans, 1928), with T. urticae being the most prevalent pest in beans. The populations of these pest species were monitored at 2-4 week intervals, and field infection rates (%), district average infection rates (%), and provincial average infection rates were determined. Additionally, the average mite density per leaf (mites/leaf) was calculated. In Ankara province, infection rates started at 22.31% and reached 100%, with mite density per leaf ranging from 0.0 to 1.92. In Konya province, infection rates started at 27.03% and reached 88.99%, with mite density per leaf ranging from 0.08 to 49.57. In Afyonkarahisar province, infection rates started at 5.55% and reached 100%, with mite density per leaf ranging from 0.83 to 27.57. This study is the first faunistic survey in the region, identifying S. asparagi in Türkiye for the first time among the harmful mite species, and T. solanacearum was detected for the first time on common bean.