Biological Development and Reproductive Modes of Schizotetranychus sacharum (Acari: Tetranychidae) on Sugarcane

The phytophagous mite Schizotetranychus sacharum has caused population outbreaks in sugarcane crops in several regions of São Paulo State, Brazil, representing a potential phytosanitary risk due to its presence in commercial fields. However, knowledge of biological development and reproductive modes of S. sacharum remains limited. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize development, reproduction, and demographic parameters of S. sacharum on sugarcane leaves under laboratory conditions using Twosex-MSChart software, Version v6. Egg incubation lasted 5.25 ± 0.17 days, followed by larval (1.79 ± 0.07 days), protonymph (2.07 ± 0.05 days), and deutonymph (3.21 ± 0.12 days) stages, resulting in an egg-to-adult developmental period of 12.15 ± 0.30 days. The survival rate from egg to adult was 0.70. Mean longevity was 8.91 ± 0.64 days for males and 9.62 ± 0.37 days for females. Demographic parameters indicated an intrinsic rate of increase (r) of 0.080 day⁻¹, a finite rate of increase (λ) of 1.084 day⁻¹, and a mean generation time (T) of 17.35 days. Furthermore, S. sacharum exhibited both sexual and asexual reproduction. These findings contribute to understanding the biology and population growth potential of this species in sugarcane agroecosystems.