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ARS Home » Northeast Area » Kearneysville, West Virginia » Appalachian Fruit Research Laboratory » Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #373802
Research Project: Integrated Orchard Management and Automation for Deciduous Tree Fruit Crops (BRIDGE PROJECT)

Location: Innovative Fruit Production, Improvement, and Protection

Title: Effect of UV-C irradiation on greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae)

Author
item Leskey, Tracy
item SHORT, BRENT - Trece, Inc
item EMERY, MAKAILA - Shepherd University
item Evans, Breyn
item Janisiewicz, Wojciech
item Takeda, Fumiomi

Submitted to: Florida Entomologist
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/18/2021
Publication Date: 8/16/2021
Citation: Leskey, T.C., Short, B.D., Emery, M., Evans, B.E., Janisiewicz, W.J., Takeda, F. 2021. Effect of UV-C irradiation on greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae). Florida Entomologist. 104(2):148-150. https://doi.org/10.1653/024.104.0215.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1653/024.104.0215

Interpretive Summary: The greenhouse whitefly is a serious greenhouse pest in many parts of the world and field-grown strawberry in year-round production areas. Problems with insecticide resistance have prompted the search for nonchemical or more sustainable methods for their management in susceptible crops. Here, we used a 16-second application of UV-C light to manage greenhouse whitefly on tomato in a greenhouse. We found that applications of UV-C reduced the numbers of adults, nymphs, and eggs significantly compared with untreated tomatoes over a six-week period. While tomato plants exposed to UV-C were shorter than unexposed plants, chlorophyll levels were the same and they bore fruit. Our results indicate that UV-C could eliminate or greatly reduce the need for insecticide treatments against greenhouse whitefly.

Technical Abstract: The greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood), is a serious pest of numerous crops grown in greenhouses in many parts of the world and field-grown strawberry in year-round production areas in California. Problems with insecticide resistance have prompted the search for nonchemical or more sustainable methods for their management in susceptible crops. A novel method for management of arthropod pests and diseases is application of UV-C light. Here, we applied UV-C light (peak emission of 254 nm and irradiation intensity of 0.237Wm-2) nightly for 16 seconds over a six-week period to tomatoes infested with T. vaporariorum and compared presence of adults, nymphs, and eggs on treated and untreated plants. We found that overall numbers of all lifestages were significantly lower on tomatoes exposed to nightly UV-C treatments compared with unexposed plants. Additionally, numbers of each lifestage were significantly lower during each weekly sample for nearly all weeks. While tomato plants exposed to UV-C were shorter than unexposed plants, there was no significant difference in chlorophyll activity. Our results indicate that UV-C offers a novel method for managing T. vaporariorum that could eliminate or greatly reduce the need for insecticide treatments.