Abstract
The whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius, 1889) is a major pest species in many agricultural crops worldwide. Growers from the Vale do Caí region, in Southern Brazil (Rio Grande do Sul state) have been facing severe economic losses due to the increasing damages caused by this sucking insect in their horticultural crops. Small-scale farming in the Vale do Caí region relies heavily on horticulture, with many families involved in the activity and a consumer market spread throughout the whole state. Virus transmission and other damages inflicted by B. tabaci are especially harmful to tomato plants, and the managing of the pest currently demands two thirds of all chemical insecticides used in the region. While chemical control remains the main strategy for whitefly management on tomato crops, control failures and lack of updated information have led tomato growers to raise the number of sprays per crop cycle, with selection of resistant populations and harmful effects on the environment as consequent risks. The aim of this work was to evaluate chemical compounds and bioinsecticides in the control of B. tabaci nymphs and adults on tomato plants grown in two different greenhouses and under natural infestation conditions. The most efficient treatment for the control of B. tabaci adults was cyantraniliprole + lambda-cyhalothrin (50+30 g a.i. ha-1) with 64% of average control efficiency. As for nymph control, the most efficient treatment was the Embrapa formula, a bioinsecticide composed of 0.5% flaxseed oil + 0.5% neutral detergent + 0.3% sodium bicarbonate, which resulted in 72% of whitefly control in average.
Highlights
Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius, 1889) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) comprises a highly adapted and widely dispersed species complex, being considered a major pest in many crops worldwide (Byrne & Bellows Jr., 1991; Basu, 1995; De Barro, 2000)
Tomato plants are mainly damaged by B. tabaci due to virus transmission, such as the Tomate yellow leaf curl disease (TYLCD) (Cohen & Antignus, 1994; Jones, 2003), with yield losses mounting up to 70% (Villas Boas et al, 1997)
The aim of this work was to evaluate the efficiency of chemical compounds and bioinsecticides in the control of B. tabaci adults and nymphs on tomato plants grown under greenhouse conditions, in two different sites, in order to estabilish the most efficient strategy for whitefly control on tomato crops
Summary
Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius, 1889) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) comprises a highly adapted and widely dispersed species complex, being considered a major pest in many crops worldwide (Byrne & Bellows Jr., 1991; Basu, 1995; De Barro, 2000). The damages inflicted by whitefly on its plant hosts result directly from sap sucking and toxin injection, and indirectly from virus transmission and honeydew secretion, which serves as a substrate for the growth of sooty mold fungi upon the leaves (Hirose et al, 2015). Tomato plants are mainly damaged by B. tabaci due to virus transmission, such as the Tomate yellow leaf curl disease (TYLCD) (Cohen & Antignus, 1994; Jones, 2003), with yield losses mounting up to 70% (Villas Boas et al, 1997). The Vale do Caí region is an important grower of horticultural crops in the Rio Grande do Sul state (Southern Brazil), with 1 624 families directly involved in the activity and a consumer market spread jas.ccsenet.org
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