Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Plant Protection Research Institute, ARC, Dokki, Giza, Egypt
2
Department of Plant Protection, Faculty of Agriculture, Suez Canal University, Ismailia, Egypt
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to shed light on the prevalence and dispersion of mites in soil that was planted with clover, wheat, broad beans, and onions in the winter of 2022 at the Agriculture Research Station in the Ismailia Governorate. Within the four main categories of soil mites, Mesostigmata, Prostigmata, Cryptostigmata, and Astigmata, 36 mite species were identified. There were 36 mite species total, belonging to 20 families and 34 genera. A total of 1976 soil mite individuals were gathered from every habitat that was studied. The most prevalent group of mites was Mesostigmata, but two species (288 individuals) of Acaridid mites had the lowest individual numbers. Twelve species dominated the Mesostigmata, which made up 38.5% of all the mites that were collected.
In contrast to broad beans, which had the fewest soil mite individuals, clover plantation soils showed higher mite abundance, richness, and variety. Following harvest, the diversity index values in the crop fields under examination were decreased, most likely as a result of agricultural machinery disturbing the soil. The various crops differed significantly from one another. At the farm under investigation, the onion field had a Shannon-Wiener's diversity index of 3.2, whereas the wheat field had an index of 1.4.
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