The effects of water-stress, temperature, and plant traits on the outbreak potential of a specialist and generalist spider mite species (Acari: Tetranychidae)
Data files
Oct 24, 2023 version files 876.34 KB
Abstract
The host-generalist two-spotted spider mite [Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae); TSM] and host-specialist Banks grass mite [Oligonychus pratensis (Acari: Tetranychidae); BGM] are common pests of corn (Zea mays L.) in the arid western United States. Climate warming and decreased precipitation may promote conditions favored by these spider mites. However, rapid evolution of spider mite resistance to commercially available acaricides is driving the need for alternative solutions for managing outbreaks. Planting of drought-tolerant corn hybrids has been proposed to be a dual-purpose strategy for mitigating water deficits for irrigation and reducing leaf conditions favorable for BGM outbreaks. However, understanding of the mechanisms responsible for reducing the BGM in the field is lacking, and determining whether outbreaks of the TSM can also be averted using drought-tolerant corn is a pressing concern. We conducted a two-year field study testing a drought-tolerant corn hybrid and an analogous drought-susceptible hybrid under water-stress with artificially-infested spider mite populations. Drought-tolerant corn had larger stem diameter, more massive cobs, and greater leaf water mass compared to the drought-susceptible corn under water stress. We also found that the BGM populations were reduced on drought-tolerant plants under water-stress, as expected, but we found an opposite trend in the TSM. Lastly, water-stressed leaves were warmer, transpired less, and had higher carbon concentration, which contributed to larger investment in eggs and growth in the BGM. We anticipate that further evaluation of irrigation and crop drought-tolerance in management of agriculture systems for multiple pest species will be increasingly impactful in arid regions.
README: The effects of water-stress, temperature, and plant traits on the outbreak potential of a specialist and generalist spider mite species (Acari: Tetranychidae)
[Access this dataset on Dryad](Dataset DOI: 10.5061/dryad.4j0zpc8jd)
Give a brief summary of dataset contents, contextualized in experimental procedures and results.
Dataset contents include supporting data of leaf temperature, leaf nutrients, spider mite and egg densities, spider mite and egg morphometrics, plant (corn) field measurements, and soil moisture and nutrient measurements.
Data are generally separated between the two sampling seasons, 2020 and 2021. 2020 experimental treatments included levels of irrigation, corn drought tolerance, and spider mites introduced. In 2021, experimental treatments focused on irrigation and levels of drought tolerance.
The experiment was conducted at Greenville Agricultural Research Station and Utah State University in Northern Utah, USA.
Description of the data and file structure
Spider mite density data (MiteAndEgg Density_Dryad_October2023) is structured with ID and treatment columns, followed by sample counts of eggs and motiles (mites) from laboratory counts using microscope. The counts were then divided by (leaf) Area to achieve Density (in units mites cm-2).
Spider mite motile (adult female) and egg data (Morphometrics_Dryad_October2023) is structured with ID and treatment columns, followed by measurements of different mites or eggs from a treatment (replicates 1 to 17 in units mm).
Final sampling period corn data (Plant Field Measurements_Dryad_October2023) ID and treatment columns, followed by sampling of the corn responses. There were two sample replicates of different plants taken with a leaf porometer (Conductance in units mmol m-2s-1 and Temperature in units Celsius responses) and leaf pressure chamber (Potential in units bar response). Three replicates were taken for plant stems with calipers (Stem Diameter in units mm), plant height with a measuring tape (in units cm), and whether tassels were present. Later and in the lab, cob mass (in units grams) was collected after drying in oven.
Leaf temperature data (Leaf Temperature_Dryad_October2023) is structured with ID and treatment columns, followed by the averaged daily temperature (in units Celsius) collected by Hobo data loggers with thermocouples adhered to the bottom of corn leaves in the lower third of plants.
Leaf nutrient data (LeafNutrients_Dryad_October2023) were collected in 2020 and structured with ID and treatment columns, followed by nitrogen and carbon (in units percent dry mass) as determined by combustion using an elemental analyzer.
Soil moisture was collected in 2020 and 2021, while soil nutrient data was collected only in 2020 (Soil_Dryad_October2023). Data are structured with ID and treatment and logger columns, followed by response variables of nitrate (NO3 in units ppm), nitrite (NO3 in units ppm), and soil moisture in volumetric water content (expressed as unit percentage).
Spider mite density data (MiteAndEgg Density_Dryad_October2023) includes the treatments irrigation (High or Medium or Low), Corn Tolerance (Drought Susceptible or Drought Tolerant), and Species (Banks Grass Mite or Two Spotted Spider Mite or No Mites). N/A data indicate samples not used for calculating estimates.
Spider mite motile (adult female) and egg data (Morphometrics_Dryad_October2023) includes the treatments irrigation (High or Medium or Low), Corn Tolerance (Drought Susceptible or Drought Tolerant), and Species (Banks Grass Mite or Two Spotted Spider Mite or No Mites). N/A data includes replicates where mites or eggs were damaged or otherwise unavailable for analysis.
Final sampling period corn data (Plant Field Measurements_Dryad_October2023) includes the treatments irrigation (High or Medium or Low), Corn Tolerance (Drought Susceptible or Drought Tolerant), and Species (Banks Grass Mite or Two Spotted Spider Mite or No Mites). N/A data indicates that either two or three sampling replicates from each corn cage were collected, while cob mass was not collected in the field but rather later in the lab following the field collection.
Leaf temperature data (Leaf Temperature_Dryad_October2023) includes the treatments irrigation (High or Medium or Low), Corn Tolerance (Drought Susceptible or Drought Tolerant), and Species (Banks Grass Mite or Two Spotted Spider Mite or No Mites). There were no missing or otherwise unavailable averages.
Leaf nutrient data (LeafNutrients_Dryad_October2023) includes the treatments irrigation (High or Medium or Low), Corn Tolerance (Drought Susceptible or Drought Tolerant), and Mite Species (Banks Mite or Two Spotted Spider Mite or No Mites). %N indicates the percentage of nitrogen to dry mass and %C indicates percentage of carbon to dry mass.
Soil moisture data includes reference to the data and time of data collection, Data Snap ID and Name (logger numbers and assigned names), and lastly volumetric water content, while soil nutrients data includes the treatments irrigation (High or Medium or Low), Corn Tolerance (Drought Susceptible or Drought Tolerant), and Mite Species (Banks Mite or Two Spotted Spider Mite or No Mites) followed by responses nitrate (NO3 in parts per million, ppm) and nitrite (NO4 in parts per million, ppm) (Soil_Dryad_October 2023).