Control of Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus in zucchini using the predatory mite Amblyseius swirskii

Publication date: Available online 16 August 2017 Source:Biological Control Author(s): Maria del Mar Tellez, Almudena Simon, Estefania Rodriguez, Dirk Janssen The tobacco whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae), is a serious pest of vegetables in many horticulture systems. It vectors the Tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV) which causes considerable damage in zucchini crops. Both pest and the disease are well established in field and greenhouse crops in the southeast of Spain, the largest vegetable growing area in Europe. The predatory mite Amblyseius swirskii Athias-Henriot (Arachnida: Phytoseiidae) is known to effectively manage B. tabaci populations in crops such as sweet pepper and cucumber, feeding on eggs and crawlers of this pest. However, there are no reports on the effectiveness of predatory mites against tobacco whitefly in zucchini crops. The potential to reduce whitefly populations as well as the spread of ToLCNDV in zucchini was evaluated by the pre-installation of A. swirskii in seedlings. Results showed that the number of adult whiteflies and deposited eggs on zucchini plants were significantly lower on plants with the phytoseiid predator, showing a significant negative impact of A. swirskii on B. tabaci colonization and reproduction but not on the primary infection with ToLCNDV. However, the pre-release of the predatory mites resulted in a strong decrease in eggs and subsequently emerging adults of whiteflies relative to plant...
Source: Biological Control - Category: Biology Source Type: research