A experiment was conducted to determine the relationship between the mite
Brevipalpus phoenicis
and
Dothiorella
sp. Twenty plants from a experimental orchard located at the Centro Frutícola del Zulia, Mara (10° 49' 98''LN and 71° 46' 33''LO) were selected and treated with the purpose of obtaining fruit with and without mite injuries, and inoculated or not with
Dothiorella, applying a mitecide (Peropal®), fungicides (Bavistín® and Captan®) and aspersions of
Dothiorella innoculum according to each treatment. The fruits were harvested at 14, 21, 28, 35, 49, 56 y 84 days post-anthesis (dpa). Mites were counted at sepals (abaxial and adaxially), peduncles and berry. The presence of
Dothiorella was verified placing the fruit on PDA for the growth of the fungi and with histological sections to locate the pycnidia in the apical portion of the fruit. SASÒ Program, Tukey's and Frecuency Analysis were used to analyze the data.
Dothiorella was present in 1.79% of the fruits inoculated or not with conidia of the fungi, in absence of mites at 84 and 14 dpa respectively. The hystological analysis found one fruit with
Dothiorella treated with innoculum and with no mites at 84 dpa. The results could not demostrate if the injuries caused by the mites facilitate the entrance of
Dothiorella, since fruits were the mites were present and the inocullum of
Dothiorella was applied was not verified on PDA, this coud have happened for unfavourable climatic conditions for the inocullum in the field. Mites fluctuated depending on the treatments and the age of the fruitis and its parts, the highest mean mite was at 35 dpa on abaxial sepals.
