Effect of UV-C irradiation on greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

Authors

  • Tracy C Leskey USDA-ARS, Appalachian Fruit Research Station, 2217 Wiltshire Road, Kearneysville, West Virginia 25430-2771, USA
  • Brent D Short USDA-ARS, Appalachian Fruit Research Station, 2217 Wiltshire Road, Kearneysville, West Virginia 25430-2771, USA
  • Makaila Emery Shepherd University, P.O. Box 5000, Shepherdstown, West Virginia 25430, USA
  • Breyn Evans USDA-ARS, Appalachian Fruit Research Station, 2217 Wiltshire Road, Kearneysville, West Virginia 25430-2771, USA
  • Wojciech Janisiewicz USDA-ARS, Appalachian Fruit Research Station, 2217 Wiltshire Road, Kearneysville, West Virginia 25430-2771, USA
  • Fumiomi Takeda USDA-ARS, Appalachian Fruit Research Station, 2217 Wiltshire Road, Kearneysville, West Virginia 25430-2771, USA

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

View this article in BioOne

Downloads

Published

2021-08-04

Issue

Vol. 104, No. 2 (June 2021)

Section

Scientific Notes

License

Copyright for any article published in Florida Entomologist is held by the author(s) of the article. Florida Entomologist is an open access journal. Florida Entomologist follows terms of the Creative Commons, Attribution Non-Commercial License (cc by-nc). By submitting and publishing articles in Florida Entomologist, authors grant the FOJ and Florida Entomologist's host institutions permission to make the article available through Internet posting and electronic dissemination, and to otherwise archive the information contained both electronically and in a hard printed version. When used, information and images obtained from articles must be referenced and cited appropriately. Articles may be reproduced for personal, educational, or archival purposes, or any non-commercial use. Permission should be sought from the author(s) for multiple, non-commercial reproduction. Written permission from the author(s) is required for any commercial reproduction.