Effect of exclusion net on the acarofauna in apple orchard

Exclusion netting is an environmentally friendly plant protection method that could affect apple arthropod communities. To evaluate the effects of exclusion net on apple mite population, a two-year study comparing phytophagous mites and their predators’ densities was conducted. The study was carried out in 2021-2022 in an apple orchard on the experimental field of the Agricultural University-Plovdiv. During the experiments no chemical pesticides were applied. The acarofauna in the apple orchard was represented by four families, with the highest population density being predatory mites of the family Phytoseiidae. The population density of the observed phytophagous mites from the family Tetranychidae on the young apple trees never reached the established for the crop economic threshold. Although no significant difference was observed in the abundance of predatory mites, their population density was slightly higher in the exclusion net plot. This is attributed to the better microclimate created in this section of the apple orchard. Keywords: acarofauna, apple, Bulgaria, phytophagous mites, predators, spider mites