Mite Pest-resistant Cotton Be a Little Closer?

Description

CSIRO has also been devoting resources and expertise towards managing other pests that affect cotton. One pest that can potentially decrease yield and cause quality losses in cotton is the two-spotted spider mite. Two-spotted spider mites (Tetranychus urticae) affect cotton plants by sucking out the cellular contents and causing a loss of plant vigour, photosynthetic capacity and a subsequent reduced yield and poorer quality fibre. CSIRO scientist Dr Junji Miyazaki evaluated a range of cotton varieties and found that some are much more resistant to mites than others.