Relationship between tea and fruit trees inter-planting and yellow mite damage in tea fields

Authors

Journal Southest Chnia Journal of Agricultural Sciences , 2003,1:16

Abstract Yellow mite (Polyphagotarsonemus Latus(Banks))is one of the very important pest mites of tea in Sichuan, China. It is difficult to be controlled by chemicals because of its small body, rapidly reproductive and hind habitate. It is necessary to find out a new way for its control. This paper dealt with the relationship between plant diversity and yellow mites occurrence. The results were as follows: When the diversity increased in the tea field by introduced non-tea plants, the mites damage changed, e. g. while plum,pear or peach were introduced in the tea field,the mites population and damage due to yellow mites changed;the damage greatly decreased while a crop tree interplanted with tea bush.That''s because the temperature,humidity and sunlight shed changed. The control efficiency of mite varied with the kind of trees as follows: tree (cedar) + tea > pear + tea > peach + tea > plum + tea > single-tea field.