Skip to main content
ARS Home » Southeast Area » Charleston, South Carolina » Vegetable Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #324338
Research Project: Sustainable Approaches for Pest Management in Vegetable Crops

Location: Vegetable Research

Title: Effect of climate change on Bemisia tabaci in southeast USA

Author
item Simmons, Alvin

Submitted to: International Congress of Entomology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/15/2016
Publication Date: 8/22/2016
Citation: Simmons, A.M. 2016. Effect of climate change on Bemisia tabaci in southeast USA. XXV International Congress of Entomology. Orlando, Florida, USA. September 25-30, 2016. doi:10.1603/ICE.2016.93018.

Interpretive Summary: N/A

Technical Abstract: Introduction: Among species of whiteflies on a global scale, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is by far the most problematic in agricultural. The status of B. tabaci as a challenging global pest problem resulted in part because of its role as a vector of numerous plant viruses, and because it is adaptive to abiotic and biotic environmental components. It is well recognized that global climate change can impact plants and animals. A study was conducted on the impacts of climate change on selected life history and ecology parameters of B. tabaci (B-biotype = Middle East-Asia Minor 1). Methods: Laboratory and field data were collected on whitefly performance. A multi-generational approach was used to examine direct impacts on life history to varying levels of temperature and CO2. Different populations of the whitefly were established under cool, moderate and warm temperatures, and these were followed in the laboratory and in field experiments. Results/Conclusion: Elevated temperature was very important on whitefly performance (size, survival, development and reproduction), but there was relatively little effect from elevated carbon dioxide. The field performance of different populations of B. tabaci resulted in varying degrees of survival during the winter months. Host plant quality under the climate change scenarios had little impact on whitefly performance. Data describing how B. tabaci communities will respond to changing climate are essential for understanding its overwintering range and help in the development of effective whitefly management, and the results contribute to the general understanding of how insects respond to climate change.