Varietal Screening of Newly Evolved Chilli Hybrid Camparing with Traditional Varieties against Thrips (Scirtothrips dorsalis Hood.) and  White Fly (Bemisia tabaci Genn.)

The flight activities of adult sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, and leafhoppers were monitored by plastic cup traps at Boğalı, Taşçı, Hacıali, Doğankent and Balcalı in the Çukurova Plain, Turkey, in 2001 and 2003. Activity of B. tabaci, expressed as numbers of adults caught in traps, was low from May to early July in both years. Numbers of B. tabaci caught at Tasçı were higher than at Boğalı from 10 July and 21 August in 2001. Its numbers were also higher at Doğankent than at Hacıali and Balcalı during August of 2003. The numbers of leafhopper adults caught fluctuated greatly in both years. Numbers remained low until late June, followed by gradual increases in July and August at Boğalı and Taşçı in 2001. In contrast, numbers of adults caught were higher at Hacıali, Doğankent and Balcalı from May through July in 2003, followed by lower catches during the remainder of the season. Daily minimum temperatures in July and August were positively correlated with higher trap catches of both B. tabaci and leafhoppers.

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Effect of the native strain of the predator Nesidiocoris tenuis Reuter and the entomopathogenic fungi Beauveria bassiana and Lecanicillium muscarium against Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) under greenhouse conditions in Tunisia

Egyptian Journal of Biological Pest Control ◽

10.1186/s41938-021-00395-5 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 31 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Besma Hamrouni Assadi ◽

Sabrine Chouikhi ◽

Refki Ettaib ◽

Naima Boughalleb M’hamdi ◽

Mohamed Sadok Belkadhi

Keyword(s):

Beauveria Bassiana ◽

Bemisia Tabaci ◽

Entomopathogenic Fungi ◽

Tobacco Plant ◽

Economic Losses ◽

Native Strain ◽

Lecanicillium Muscarium ◽

Southern Tunisia ◽

Significant Efficacy ◽

Nesidiocoris Tenuis

Abstract Background The misuse of chemical insecticides has developed the phenomenon of habituation in the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) causing enormous economic losses under geothermal greenhouses in southern Tunisia. Results In order to develop means of biological control appropriate to the conditions of southern Tunisia, the efficacy of the native strain of the predator Nesidiocoris tenuis Reuter (Hemiptera: Miridae) and two entomopathogenic fungi (EPF) Beauveria bassiana and Lecanicillium muscarium was tested against Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius). Indeed, the introduction of N. tenuis in doses of 1, 2, 3, or 4 nymphs per tobacco plant infested by the whitefly led to highly significant reduction in the population of B. tabaci, than the control devoid of predator. The efficacy of N. tenuis was very high against nymphs and adults of B. tabaci at all doses per plant with a rate of 98%. Likewise, B. bassiana and L. muscarium, compared to an untreated control, showed a very significant efficacy against larvae and adults of B. tabaci. In addition, the number of live nymphs of N. tenuis treated directly or introduced on nymphs of B. tabaci treated with the EPF remained relatively high, exceeding 24.8 nymphs per cage compared to the control (28.6). Conclusions It can be concluded that the native strain of N. tenuis and the EPF tested separately were effective against B. tabaci. Their combined use appears to be possible.

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Bemisia tabaci Vesicle-Associated Membrane Protein 2 Interacts with Begomoviruses and Plays a Role in Virus Acquisition

Cells ◽

10.3390/cells10071700 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 10 (7) ◽

pp. 1700

Author(s):

Yun-Yun Fan ◽

Yu-Wei Zhong ◽

Jing Zhao ◽

Yao Chi ◽

Sophie Bouvaine ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Membrane Protein ◽

Bemisia Tabaci ◽

Species Complex ◽

Molecular Mechanisms ◽

Whole Body ◽

Sri Lankan ◽

Tomato Production ◽

Virus Acquisition ◽

Leaf Curl Virus ◽

Whitefly Vector

Begomoviruses cause substantial losses to agricultural production, especially in tropical and subtropical regions, and are exclusively transmitted by members of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci species complex. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying the transmission of begomoviruses by their whitefly vector are not clear. In this study, we found that B. tabaci vesicle-associated membrane protein 2 (BtVAMP2) interacts with the coat protein (CP) of tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), an emergent begomovirus that seriously impacts tomato production globally. After infection with TYLCV, the transcription of BtVAMP2 was increased. When the BtVAMP2 protein was blocked by feeding with a specific BtVAMP2 antibody, the quantity of TYLCV in B. tabaci whole body was significantly reduced. BtVAMP2 was found to be conserved among the B. tabaci species complex and also interacts with the CP of Sri Lankan cassava mosaic virus (SLCMV). When feeding with BtVAMP2 antibody, the acquisition quantity of SLCMV in whitefly whole body was also decreased significantly. Overall, our results demonstrate that BtVAMP2 interacts with the CP of begomoviruses and promotes their acquisition by whitefly.

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