Survey on mites associated with greenhouse soil in Attica, Greece
1994
Chalikia, C.
The soils of twenty two greenhouses, located in the continental part of Attica and subjected to different cultural manipulations, were studied for the microarthropod communities they include. The population fluctuations of the same invertebrates were studied in the soil of a greenhouse over a period of six months in 1991. Possible effects of oxamyl- a very common chemical in agricultural practice-were deduced from this study. The soils of the greenhouses showed high density in respect to microarthropod communities, qualitatively as well as quantitatively. Insects and Arachnida were the significant groups present. From the former the order which was better spread was Collembola. Coleoptera, Diptera, Thysanoptera were also found but with less population densities. Arachnida were mainly represented by four orders of Acari, among which Prostigmata and Cryptostigmata were the most diverse in number of species. Nevertheless, Astigmata and Prostigmata were the most important quantitatively. Pyemotidae and Collembola were the best adapted groups to the soils of greenhouses. Collembola and Pyemotidae, along with Acaridae, Ascidae and Diptera were consistently present over all sampling period in the soil of greenhouse tested. The total microarthropod population showed the same mode of changes like that of Prostigmata, which was the prevailing group of arthropods numerically. Collembola became significant late in spring, through Astigmata and Mesostigmata, the other important orders did not manage to influence the total microarthropods fluctuations. The application of oxamyl during the period of high development of Pyemotidae had a detrimental effect on their populations.
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