Plant-mediated interactions between Tetranychus evansi and T. urticae spider mites - suppression test drought.

We infested three leaflets of 28-days old tomato plants (Solanum lycopersicum var Castlemart)
with spider mites in four treatments, divided over two factors: (1) Mite species
(Tetranychus evansi Viçosa-1 or Tetranychus urticae Santpoort-2) and (2)
water regime (wet, dry). For the water regime, we either did not water the
plants after their 21st day (dry treatment), or we watered them
twice a week by filling their trays maximally (wet). We infested the basal
halves of three leaflets per plant, each from a different leaf, with 15 two to
four days old adult females. We also placed 5 two to four days old adult Tetranychus urticae Santpoort-2 females
on the upper halves of the same leaflets, while separating the leaflet halves
through a lanolin barrier. We counted the number of eggs laid by the female
mites on the upper halves of the leaf discs after four days. We also recorded
which leaves were infested, how many treatment mites survived during four days
(measured each day), and how many oviposition mites survived after four days.
The experiment was carried out in two blocks in time, and both blocks were
performed in a climate room (25°C, 16 : 8 h light : dark, 60% RH).