Seasonal population dynamics and flight activity of sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci on potato in the sub-tropical plains of India

Abstract

The sweetpotato or cotton whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) transmits the Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus [potato], and is, therefore, a major concern for quality seed potato production in India. The population dynamics of whitefly was studied for four seasons (2016–2020) in the Jalandhar region of Punjab (India). The whitefly adults appeared on the crop immediately after emergence and peaked (1.5–2.5 per plant) in the first week of November. The adults were found on the crops for 85.58 ± 4.95 days. The average daily temperature emerged as the strongest predictor for population fluctuation of adult whiteflies on potato plants. The native contribution to the whitefly population was negligible as nil or very few pupal exuviae were found on the potato plants. The trap catch was highest in the first 2–3 weeks after crop emergence (15–47 per trap) and decreased abruptly afterward and for the remainder of the sampling dates, very few whiteflies were trapped. The first 2–3 weeks represent the phase when maximum immigration of adults occurs in to the potato crops. The flight activity of the adults continued until the maximum daily temperature did not fall below 13 °C. The information on the pattern of flight activity and population fluctuation will help manage the whitefly virus complex more efficiently for the production of quality seed potatoes.