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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Maricopa, Arizona » U.S. Arid Land Agricultural Research Center » Pest Management and Biocontrol Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #206897
Title: Bemisia tabaci (Aleyrodidae: Homoptera) nymphal feeding in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) leaves

Author
item Chu, Chang Chi
item Margosan, Dennis
item Buckner, James
item FREEMAN, THOMAS - NDSU, FARGO, ND

Submitted to: Insect Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/12/2007
Publication Date: 9/15/2007
Citation: Chu, C., Margosan, D.A., Buckner, J.S., Freeman, T.P. 2007 Bemisia tabaci (Aleyrodidae: Homoptera) nymphal feeding in cotton (Gossypium hirsutum) leaves. Insect Science (14):375-381

Interpretive Summary: A photographic illustration of whitefly nymphal feeding in cotton leaves is reported. Nymphs feeding begin from penetrating underleaf surface of cotton through leaf tissues and ending with stylets in sieve tubes in phloem tissues. The feeding process is recorded by salivary sheath that surrounded stylets.

Technical Abstract: We used brightfield electron microscopy (BEM), differential interference contrast microscopy (DICM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), transmission electron microscopy (TEM), and confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) to investigate the stylet pathways of Bemisia tabaci during nymphal feeding behavior in cotton leaves beginning with penetration of the abaxial leaf surface and ending with stylets in sieve tubes in phloem tissues. Most nymphal stylets within salivary sheaths penetrating leaf tissues made complex turns and developed more than one salivary sheath branch before ending in sieve tubes. The external morphology of the salivary sheaths and their routes between and through leaf cells were described during the present studies. Results showed the presence of the stylet within the sieve tubes. B. tabaci nymphs may remove stylets and feed in different sieve tubes. Short videos are attached to figures 8 to 14. The report and videos can be downloaded from USDA, ARS, ALARC websitefor use as a teaching aid in biology classes.