Response of <I>Trialeurodes abutiloneus</I> (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) to Sweet Potato and Two Species of <I>Hibiscus</I>

Abstract

Life history, survivorship, and adaptation of the bandedwinged whitefly, Trialeurodes abutiloneus (Haldeman), on sweet potato, Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam, and two species of Hibiscus were studied in laboratory and screen houses. T. abutiloneus deposited significantly more eggs on cotton rose, Hibiscus mutabilis L. (10.3—11.3 eggs per female), and roselle, Hibiscus sabdariffa L. (10.1—11.8 eggs per female), than on sweet potato (6.1—7.3 eggs per female) in a choice test when the whiteflies were previously reared on cotton rose and roselle. Whereas, whiteflies originally reared on sweet potato deposited more eggs on sweet potato (10.4) than on cotton rose (7.3) and roselle (6.1). However, differences in oviposition among these three host plants were not significant in a no-choice test, regardless of their original host plants. Overall developmental times of T. abutiloneus were significantly longer on sweet potato (22.3—23.2 d) than on cotton rose (17.0—17.8 d) and roselle (17.1—17.4 d) independent of their original host plants. Survival rate of T. abutiloneus was only 12.3—21.4% on sweet potato compared with 71.5—87.2% on cotton rose and 77.7—90.3% on roselle. Linear regression analysis of the survival rates of all nymphal stages of T. abutiloneus on sweet potato after seven consecutive generations indicated that the survival rates increased (r 2 5 0.7419— 0.8483), albeit the rates were slow. Thus, sweet potato proved to be a relatively poor host plant as well as a relatively nonpreferred one for T. abutiloneus compared with cotton rose and roselle.