Effect of UV-C irradiation on greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)
Abstract
Greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) (He[1]miptera: Aleyrodidae), is a serious pest of numerous crops grown in greenhouses and field-grown strawberry in yr-round production areas in California, USA. Problems with insecticide resistance have prompted the search for more sustainable methods for their management. Here, we applied UV-C light treatments nightly for 16 s (19.2 J m−2) over a 6-wk period to tomatoes infested with T. vaporariorum and compared numbers of adults, nymphs, and eggs with those on untreated plants. All life stages of T. vaporariorum were significantly lower on tomatoes treated nightly with UV-C compared with unexposed plants. Additionally, there was no significant difference in chlorophyll fluorescence activity. Our results indicate that nightly UV-C treatments significantly reduce T. vaporariorum populations and offer a potential non-chemical method for their management on tomato.
Sumario
La mosca blanca del invernadero, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), es una plaga grave de numerosas plantas que se cultivan en invernaderos y de fresas cultivadas en el campo en áreas de producción durante todo el año en California, EE. UU. Los problemas de resistencia a los insecticidas han impulsado la búsqueda de métodos más sostenibles para su manejo. Aquí, aplicamos tratamientos de luz UV-C todas las noches durante 16 s (19.2 J m−2) durante un período de 6 semanas a tomates infestados con T. vaporariorum y comparamos el número de adultos, ninfas y huevos con las plantas no tratadas. Todas los estadios de vida de T. vaporariorum fueron significativamente menores en los tomates tratados por la noche con UV-C en comparación con las plantas no expuestas. Además, no hubo diferencias significativas en la actividad de fluorescencia de la clorofila. Nuestros resultados indican que los tratamientos nocturnos con UV-C reducen significativamente las poblaciones de T. vaporariorum y ofrecen un método no químico potencial para su manejo del cultivo de tomate.
Key Words: whitefly; IPM; greenhouse pest; tomato; insecticide resistance
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