Effectiveness of thiamethoxam and imidacloprid seed treatments against Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) on cotton

Abstract

Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) biotype B is one of the most important pests on cotton around the world. Laboratory, greenhouse and field experiments were conducted to determine the efficacy of thiamethoxam and imidacloprid seed treatments against B. tabaci on cotton. Under laboratory conditions, the two treatments caused whitefly adult mortality, reduced oviposition and increased mortality of nymphs at 10, 20, 30 and 40 days after germination (DAG). The longer the adults fed on plants from treated seeds, the higher the mortality. The two treatments did not have any effect on eggs. The efficacy of the treated seeds against B. tabaci gradually decreased from 10 to 40 DAG, being the lowest at 40 DAG. In laboratory experiments, the efficacies between the two treatments were similar. In greenhouse experiments, the two treatments were equally effective with lower numbers of whiteflies than untreated controls. With both treatments the concentrations of the active ingredient were gradually reduced with aging of the plants and from the bottom to the top leaves of the plants. Numbers of live whiteflies were well correlated with the dosage of active ingredients. Under field conditions, the seeds treated with both insecticides exhibited similar efficacy against B. tabaci for up to ~2 months. Cotton seeds treated with imidacloprid and thiamethoxam were effective against B. tabaci for up to 45 days under laboratory and greenhouse conditions, and up to ~2 months under field conditions. Use of imidacloprid- and thiamethoxam-treated seeds can be an important alternative for management of whiteflies on cotton.