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Research Project: Exotic Whitefly Pests of Vegetables and Ornamental Plants

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Title: Effect of foliar application of pymetrozine on Bemisia tabaci (MED whitefly) and Amblyseius swirskii, 2016

Author
item KUMAR, VIVEK - University Of Florida
item KAKKAR, GARIMA - University Of Florida
item McKenzie, Cindy
item OSBORNE, LANCE - University Of Florida

Submitted to: Arthropod Management Tests
Publication Type: Other
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/11/2017
Publication Date: 5/8/2017
Citation: Kumar, V., Kakkar, G., McKenzie, C.L., Osborne, L.S. 2017. Effect of foliar application of pymetrozine on Bemisia tabaci (MED whitefly) and Amblyseius swirskii, 2016. Arthropod Management Tests. 42:Gtsx054.

Interpretive Summary: Bemisia tabaci is an invasive pest of many vegetable, ornamental or fiber crops. We evaluated an insecticide called pymetrozine and a predaceous mite for whitefly control, and assessed compatibility of the insecticide with the mite. We found that pymetrozine was not effective against whitefly, but mite can be used alone or in combination with the insecticide. In the greenhouse production, predatory mite can be considered as an efficient alternate to neonicotinoid insecticides frequently used by the growers for whitefly control.

Technical Abstract: Bemisia tabaci is a polyphagous pest known to feed upon over 900 plant taxa, and is an effective vector of more than 100 plant damaging viruses. Among different biotypes of this cryptic species complex, MEAM1 and MED whitefly are the two most destructive members posing threats of several crops of economic importance. With the overall goal to integrate the predatory mite Amblyseius swirskii in the management program of MED whitefly, the specific objective of this study was to evaluate pymetrozine, a pyridine azomethine derivative for whitefly control, and assess its compatibility with swirskii mite. The trial was conducted on an ornamental host, salvia under greenhouse conditions. No significant difference in Amblyseius swirskii counts between mite treated and combination treatment were reported except for motiles in week 2. Pymetrozine alone was not effective in suppressing MED whitefly life-stages, as no significant difference in whitefly numbers were observed from the control. Amblyseius swirskii provided higher suppression in whitefly life-stages than the pymetrozine treatment, and were as effective as combination treatment throughout the study period. Overall whitefly mortality in different treatments ranged between 85 and 97% for Amblyseius swirskii, 18-58% for pymetrozine, and 95-100% for combination treatments.