Whitefly: A devastating pest of commercially grown crops

Whiteflies?are?Hemipterans?that typically feed on the undersides of plant leaves. They comprise the?family?Aleyrodidae, the only family in the superfamily?Aleyrodoidea. More than?1550 species?have been described.

Aleyrodidae are small insects, most species with a wingspan of less than 3?mm and a body length of 1?mm to 2?mm. Many are so small that their size complicates their control in greenhouses because they can only be excluded by screening with very fine mesh; in fact, they can enter mesh so fine that many of their natural enemies cannot come in after them, so that unchecked whitefly populations in greenhouses rapidly become overwhelming. Some "giant whitefly" species exist, some of which may exceed 5?mm in size.

Threat to agricultural crops:

In warm or tropical climates and especially in greenhouses, whiteflies present major problems in?crop protection. Worldwide economic losses are estimated at hundreds of millions of dollars annually.

Prominent whitefly pest species include:

• Aleurocanthus woglumi, citrus blackfly, which, in spite of its colour, is a whitefly that attacks citrus
• Aleyrodes proletella, cabbage whitefly, is a pest of various?Brassica?crops.
• Bemisia tabaci,?silverleaf whitefly, is a pest of many agricultural and ornamental crops.
• Trialeurodes vaporariorum,?greenhouse whitefly, a major pest of?greenhouse?fruit, vegetables, and ornamentals

Although several species of whitefly may cause some crop losses simply by sucking sap when they are very numerous, the major harm they do is indirect. Firstly, like many other sap-sucking Hemiptera, they secrete large amounts of?honeydew?that support unsightly or harmful infestations of?sooty mold. Secondly, they inject saliva that may harm the plant more than either the mechanical damage of feeding or the growth of the fungi. However, by far their major importance as?crop pests?is their transmission of diseases of plants.

Although there are many species of whiteflies, and the family is notorious for devastating transmission of?crop viruses. The most prominent?disease vectors?among the Aleyrodidae are a species complex in the genus?Bemisia.?Bemisia tabaci?and?B. argentifolii?transmit?African cassava mosaic, bean golden mosaic, bean dwarf mosaic, bean calico mosaic, tomato yellow leaf curl, tomato mottle, and other?Begomoviruses.

The worldwide spread of emerging biotypes, such as?B. tabaci?biotype B, also known as, 'B. argentifolii', and a new biotype Q, continue to cause severe crop losses which are expected to increase, demanding matching increases in pesticide use on many crops (tomatoes, beans, cassava, cotton, cucurbits, potatoes, sweet potatoes).

A major problem is that whiteflies and the viruses they carry can infect many host plants, including agricultural crops, palms,?and weeds. These problems are complicated by difficulties in classifying and detecting new whitefly biotypes and begomoviruses.

Control Measures:

Whitefly?control?is difficult and complex, as whiteflies rapidly develop resistance to chemical?pesticides. The?repeated applications may lead to strains of whiteflies that are resistant to pesticides.?Care should be taken to ensure that the insecticide used will not kill the natural predators of whiteflies.

Integrated management of whiteflies can as well be done using?biopesticides, when weather conditions are favourable.

Several predators and parasitoids may be effective in controlling whitefly infestations, for effective use of biological method after application of pesticide, plant washing is advised prior to release of predators or parasitoids.

Green lacewing larvae have voracious appetites, so will attack whiteflies, as well as other pests, including?aphids,?mealybugs,?spider mites,?leafhopper?larvae,?moth?eggs,?scales, and?thrips. They also can attack other insects, including caterpillars. Repeated application may be necessary and the eggs could be eaten before they hatch by their natural predators, such as ants or mature green lacewings.

As an effort to develop environmentally friendly integrated pest management system at Ai-Genix? we have invented revolutionary, next-generation, Ai-Enabled, physical pest management crop protection solution “BraveHawk?”, with the goal of zero-down the farmer’s reliance on insecticide?use, aim to re-establish the?ecological equilibrium?of?predators,?parasitoids, and microbial controls that were once in place.

The IPM solutions commercially available with AI-Genix? for controlling the population of whitefly are:

• BraveHawk? Monza
• eBionic FlyStar + ATT20-XXX-XXX (Attractant depends upon targeted species)
• Biological control agent (Predator): Green Lacewing Bug (eggs & larvae)
• Microbial biopesticides

For more details on our IPM crop protection solutions for the all commercially grown crops and to set up a web meeting, please write an email or send a message to us on LinkedIn. Our email id is?[email protected]

Khalil J. Shaikh

Co-Founder & CTO

AI-Genix International Pvt. Ltd.

Cell Phone# +91.96647 87836

WhatsApp: +91.7977251654