Author
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Castle, Steven |
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Submitted to: National Cotton Council Beltwide Cotton Conference
Publication Type: Proceedings Publication Acceptance Date: 7/11/2001 Publication Date: N/A Citation: N/A Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Field and greenhouse experiments were conducted to evaluate the attractiveness of melon plants relative to cotton plants. The objectives were to quantify the differences between melons and cotton in terms of the number of adult whiteflies that settle on either plant, then determine the level of oviposition on each plant type. The ultimate goal was to determine if higher attractiveness to melons by Bemisia tabaci may be exploitable by using melons as a trap crop for cotton. Two different greenhouse studies established the greater attractiveness of whiteflies to cotton in addition to higher oviposition on melons. Adult settling and oviposition rates were greater on melon in the greenhouse experiment that used whole plants and for which whiteflies were free to move from plant to plant. A similar pattern was observed in the cylinder cage tests, but the differential in adult settling and oviposition between melons and cotton, although highly significant, was not as great as the greenhouse test. Large differences in settling and oviposition were also observed in field studies that explored the use of melons as a perimeter trap crop around cotton. Significant reductions in whitefly densities were observed in cotton plots surrounded by melon trap crop compared to cotton plots without a perimeter planting of melons. Both greenhouse and field results suggest that melons can attract and hold dispersing whiteflies and result in a reduced infestation in cotton. |
