Flotac apparatus application for detection by flotation methods of mites (Acari: Eriophyoidea, Phytoseiidae) associated with hazelnut.

Typically, eriophyoid detection is operatordependent and is done by a manual separation and counting of mites from symptomatic and non-symptomatic plant materials directly under a dissecting microscope of after an extraction procedure. Collection/observation is often timeconsuming and requires training to observe and handle small specimens under a dissecting microscope. Several alternative methods have been developed and some are applied (Monfreda et al. 2009). FLOTAC is a recent technique developed to separate and count fecal parasites like protists and helminths (Cringoli et al., 2010). It involves a special apparatus to separate and view specimens at composite microscope in one step after a simple procedure. To detect mites, the FLOTAC procedure has been modified in part and it has been validated for accuracy (i.e. number of individuals detected out of a known number of stages added to the plant samples) and sensitivity (the smallest value of individuals measurable with the instrument). Eriophyoid and Phytoseiid mites were quantified from Phytoptus avellanae infested plant material processed by the mite extraction washing protocol previously applied by Monfreda et al. (2007). This flotation procedure shows to be promising for a faster quantification and a more practical detection than the other techniques currently applied.