Eriophyoid mites have potential as biological control agents for invasive weeds. Several species of eriophyoid mites have been successfully introduced and established to control various weed species. Examples discussed include Aceria chondrillae, which forms galls on Chondrilla juncea (skeleton weed) in Australia, reducing its growth and reproduction. Aceria malherbae also forms galls on Convolvulus arvensis (bindweed), limiting its flowering and seed production. Eriophyoid mites have advantages as biological control agents, including high host specificity, ability to reduce plant fitness, and rapid reproduction. However, their effectiveness can be impacted by environmental conditions, host plant resistance,

1. Eriophyoid Mites as Weed Biological Control Agents
Presented By
Eid Muhammad Khan
Ph. D. Student
Seminar-I
PLPT-694
Date; 28/12/2020
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2. Introduction
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 Compete with main crop for natural resources
 Noxious, alternate host, yield loss
 Difficult to control due to rapid growth and
reproduction
 Major task for farmer to manage
Robbins et al., 1952; Fuente et al., 2010; Armengot et al., 2011

3. 3
Biological Control of Weeds
 Aim of biological control
Reduce competition between weeds and crops, in favour of
crops against weeds
Sustainable control of weed by natural enemies
 Biological Control Agents (BCA)
Mites (Eriophyidae, Tetranychidae, and Oribatida)
Insects (Lepidoptera, Coleoptera)
Pathogens (Virus, Fungus, Bacteria)
 Classical Biological Control Program
Import and release of host specific natural enemies
BCA Reproduce and supress weeds populations gradually
Aceria malherbae
McFadden, 1998; Gerson et al., 2003; Sayed, 2005

4. 1) Ideal Biological Control Agent
a) High potential to control weeds
- Host Specific (80% host species specific)
b) Reduce Fitness of target weed
- Feeding on Reproductive (seedling) parts
- Vegetative (leaves, stem) parts
3) Transmit virus to the weed
4) High Dispersal & Reproduction rate
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Why Eriophyid Mites as Weed Biocontrol Agent
Gall on Chondrilla juncea
by Aceria chondrillae
Bermuda grass damaged by
Eriophyes cynodoniensis
Lindquist et al., 1996; Smith et al., 2010; Hoy, 2011

5. Eriophyoidea
Eriophyidae
(227 Gen., 3790 sp.,)
Phytoptidae
(21 Gen., 164 sp.,)
Diptilomiopidae
(53 Gen., 450 sp.,)
Amrine et al., 2004; Smith et al., 2009; Weyl et al., 2019
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4404 spp.
358 gen.
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 51 sp., belonging 8 gen., are considered as weed bio
agents (Since, 1970-2016)
 13 species are Released and Evaluated
 3 sp., Released & Established
Why Eriophyoid as Weed Biocontrol Agent (Cont..)

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Where Eriophyoid mites Stand as BCA

7. Genera Species Common Name Targeted Weed Released Country
Aceria chondrillae Chondrilla gall mite/
skeleton weed gall mite
Chondrilla junceae
(Rush skeleton weed)
Australia, Argentina &
United State
malherbae Bindweed gall mite Convolvulus arvensis
(Field bind weed)
United State
Aculus hyperici - Hypericum perforatum
(Saint John's wort)
Australia
Smith et al., 2009; Weyl et al., 2019 7
Continue…..

8. • Acres infested in California & North-western United States
& South-western Australia
• Noxious perennial deep rooted compete with wheat
• Nutrients, moisture and hurdles for harvesting
machinery
• Reduce yield 50%
Chondrilla juncea (skeleton weed)
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Skeleton weed distribution in Australia
Parsons & Cuthbertson,1992; Jacobs et al., 2009

9. • Native; Europe
• Introduced; Australia, Argentina & United State
• Most promising control agent than rust fungus and gall midges
• Significant affect on the growth and reproduction
• Reduction in seed formation and block shoot development
• Form clusters of leaf and hyperplastic gall on vegetative and flower
buds
Aceria chondrillae Control Chondrilla juncea
Skeleton weed gall mite
Damaged caused by A.
chondrillae
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Cullen and Briese, 2001; Piper et al., 2004

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• In California, Oregon, Washington widespread and Established
• 50-90% flowering and seed production reduction
• Introduced; 1971 south-eastern Australia
• Widely established & extremely damaged by reducing seed
production
• >500 mite noticed in one galls (in the green house)
• Reduced viable flowers from 73.6-95.6% (10 mites per plants)
• Caused plant death within two year
Continue…..
Damage caused by A. chondrillae
Smith et al., 2009; Piper et al., 2004

11. • Aggressive perennial weed distributed in temperate regions
of the world
• Compete and found in sweet potato, wheat and many others
cash crops
• Extensive root system, long lived seed, expensive to control
with chemical
• Also, harmful to livestock
Convolvulus arvensis (Bindweed)
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Convolvulus arvensis
Nesterov & Chukanova, 1981; Black et al., 1994

12. • Native country; Europe
• Introduced; Canada, South Africa & USA
• Attack on upper surface of young leaves
• Leaf fold, curl, and fuse hypertrophic forming papillae (galls)
• Yellowish to golden brown grainy or mealy appearance
• Over 95% reduction of target weed population
• Reduced root (50%) & shoot (37%) biomass
Aceria malherbae control Convolvulus arvensis
Aceria malherbae
Convolvulus arvensis
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Littlefield, 2004; Smith et al., 2009

13. • Introduced; in 1989 USA (Colorado, New Mexico, Texas, Washington,
Oregon)
• Widely distributed and well established but variable impact on host
• More prominent symptoms observed in drought conditions
• Successful in pastures and alfalfa field, 90% galls formation
• In central Montana release after 8 years infestation rang 22-49% and
100% in individual plots
• In Oregon, established in dry rangeland and reduced 90% biomass
• In Canada, after 5 years of release slight to extensive damage level
Continue…..
Aceria malherbae
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McClay et al. 1999; Smith et al., 2009

14. • Perennial weed, poison to livestock and
compete with favourable pastures, reduce
property value
• Native to Europe, distributed to Asia and
North Africa, Australia
Hypericum perforatum / Saint John's wort
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H. Perforatum distribution in Australia
Spies, 1991; Ernst, 2003

15. • Native Country; Europe
• Introduced; Australia
• Establishment of mites population in field and controlled
condition
• Varied result’s noticed on the site and plants
• In 1994, released 245 site in New South Wale and Victoria
• Established at 108 sites, significant impact on root and
shoot biomass of target weed
Aculus hyperici control Hypericum perforatum
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Aculus hyperici
McCaffrey et al., 1995; Briese and Cullen, 2001; Smith et al., 2009

16. • Fast reproduction on H. perforatum but can multiply on
other four species of Hypericum
• Mite populations persist longest on H. perforatum and H.
gramineum
• Less effective on weed population in the field
• Reduce reproduction and dispersal of weed in field
• In USA, weed was controlled by beetles
Continue…….
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McCaffrey et al., 1995; Briese and Cullen, 2001; Smith et al., 2009

17. • Natural enemies
Predators and Pathogens
• Host plant resistance
Genotypes resistance and tolerance
• Adverse abiotic conditions
Climatic factors and soil characteristic
Factors affecting their Potential
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Smith, 2004; Smith et al., 2009

18. • High degree of host plant specificity of eriophyoid are
advantageous
• Few recommended species potentially control the target weed
• Much ability to suppress plant growth and reproduction
• Attack on tissue and active on different time of the year
• Plant genotypes are resistant to associated species
Conclusion
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Future Prospects / Take Home Message
• Effects of weather stresses on physiology, behavior and
population dynamic
• Field trial to confirm host specificity
• Native and invasive weeds associated mites should be
explored and identified test their potential level
• Survivorship both on and off the host plant, and under
different environmental conditions

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Value to the Kingdom / What We Can
• Many native and invasive problematic weeds
species are identified from KSA
• No mites associate weeds studies conducted
previously
• Native invasive weeds associated mites species
should be identified and test host specificity
• Study Cytological and histological changes caused
by Eriophyoid mites
Intensive
Research
Needed

21. References
• Amrine, J. W., & Stasny, T. A. (1994). Catalog of the Eriophyoidea (Acarina: Prostigmata) of the world. Indira Publishing House.
• Briese DT, Cullen JM (2001) The use and usefulness of mites in biological control of weeds. In: Halliday RB, Walter DE, Proctor HC,
Norton RA, Colloff MJ (eds). Acarology: Proceedings of the 10th international congress. CSIRO Publishing, Melbourne, pp
453-463
• Smith, L., De Lillo, E., & Amrine, J. W. (2009). Effectiveness of eriophyid mites for biological control of weedy plants and challenges
for future research. Experimental and Applied Acarology, 51(1-3), 115-149.
• Lindquist, E. E., Bruin, J., & Sabelis, M. W. (Eds.). (1996). Eriophyoid mites: their biology, natural enemies and control. Elsevier.
• Boczek, J., & Petanovic, R. A. D. M. I. L. A. (1996, January). Eriophyid mites as agents for the biological control of weeds. In
Proceedings of the IX international symposium on biological control of weeds (pp. 19-26). University of Cape Town Cape Town, South
Africa.
• McClay AS, Littlefield JL, Kashefi J (1999) Establishment of Aceria malherbae (Acari: Eriophyidae) as a biological control agent for
field bindweed (Convolvulaceae) in the northern Great Plains. Can Entomol 131(4):541 547
• Weyl, P., Cristofaro, M., Smith, L., Schaffner, U., Vidović, B., Petanović, R., ... & Stutz, S. (2018). Eriophyid mites and weed biological
control: does every silver lining have a cloud?. In Proceedings of the XV International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds,
Engelberg, Switzerland, 26-31 August 2018. (pp. 9-11). Organising Committee, XV International Symposium on Biological Control of
Weeds 2018.
• Hoy, M. A. (2011). Agricultural acarology: introduction to integrated mite management (Vol. 7). CRC press.
• Littlefield, J. L. (2004). Spatial distribution and seasonal life history of Aceria malherbae (Acari: Eriophyidae) on Convolvulus arvensis
in Montana, USA. In XI International Symposium on Biological Control of Weeds (p. 607).
• Rosenthal, S. S. (1996). Biological control of weeds 4.1. 1 Aceria, epitrimerus and Aculus species and biological control of weeds.
In World crop pests (Vol. 6, pp. 729-739). Elsevier.
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22. References
• Armengot, L., José-María, L., Blanco-Moreno, J. M., Romero-Puente, A., & Sans, F. X. (2011). Landscape and land-use effects on
weed flora in Mediterranean cereal fields. Agriculture, ecosystems & environment, 142(3-4), 311-317.
• Robbins, W. W., Crafts, A. S., & Ray-nor, R. N. (1942). Weed control. A textbook and manual. Weed control. A textbook and manual.
• de la Fuente, E. B., Perelman, S., & Ghersa, C. M. (2010). Weed and arthropod communities in soyabean as related to crop productivity
and land use in the Rolling Pampa, Argentina. Weed research, 50(6), 561-571.
• El-Sayed, W. (2005). Biological control of weeds with pathogens: Current status and future trends/Biologische
Schadpflanzenbekämpfung mit Pathogenen: Aktueller Status und Trends von morgen. Zeitschrift für Pflanzenkrankheiten und
Pflanzenschutz/Journal of Plant Diseases and Protection, 209-221.
• McFadden, R. E. C. (1998). Biological control of weeds. Annual review of entomology, 43(1), 369-393.
• Gerson, U., Smiley, R. L., & Ochoa, R. (2003). Mites (Acari) for pest control (Vol. 558). Oxford: Blackwell Science.
• Jacobs, J., Goodwin, K., & Ogle, D. (2009). Plant guide for rush skeletonweed (Chondrilla juncea L). Bozeman, MT: US Department of
Agriculture–Natural Resources Conservation Service Plant Guide.
• Parsons, W. T., & Cuthbertson, E. G. (1992). Noxious Weeds of Australia Inkata Press. Melbourne/Sydney.
• Black, I. D., Matic, R., & Dyson, C. B. (1994). Competitive effects of field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis L.) in wheat, barley and
field peas. Plant Protection Quarterly, 9(1), 12-14.
• NesterovA, O. A., & Chukanova, O. V. (1981). The harmfulness of the predominant weed species in wheat. Sibirskiĭ Vestnik
Sel'skokhozyaĭstvennoĭ Nauki, (5), 9-13.
• Ernst, E. (Ed.). (2003). Hypericum: the genus Hypericum. CRC Press.
• Spies, T. A. (1991). Plant species diversity and occurrence in young, mature, and old-growth Douglas-fir stands in western Oregon and
Washington. USDA Forest Service general technical report PNW-GTR-Pacific Northwest Research Station (USA).
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