Bemisia tabaci on Vegetables in the Southern United States: Incidence, Impact, and Management
1
Agricultural Research Station, Fort Valley State University, 1005 State University Drive, Fort Valley, GA 31030, USA
2
U.S. Vegetable Laboratory, USDA-ARS, 2700 Savannah Highway, Charleston, SC 29414, USA
3
SE Fruit and Tree Nut Research Unit, USDA-ARS, 21 Dunbar Road, Byron, GA 31008, USA
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Alberto Pozzebon
Insects 2021, 12(3), 198; https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12030198
Received: 1 February 2021
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Revised: 12 February 2021
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Accepted: 13 February 2021
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Published: 26 February 2021
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Improving Whitefly Management)
Simple Summary
The sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, was initially discovered in the United States in 1894 but was not considered an economic insect pest on various agricultural crops across the southern and western states. After the introduction of B. tabaci Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1) into the United States around 1985, the insect rapidly spread throughout the Southern United States to Texas, Arizona, and California. Extreme field outbreaks occurred on vegetable and other crops in those areas. The sweetpotato whitefly is now regarded as one of the most destructive insect pests in vegetable production systems in the Southern United States. The direct and indirect plant damage caused by B. tabaci has led to substantial economic losses in vegetable crops. Bemisia tabaci outbreaks on vegetables in Georgia resulted in significant economic losses of 132.3 and 161.2 million US dollars (USD) in 2016 and 2017, respectively. Therefore, integrated pest management (IPM) tactics are warranted, including cultural control by manipulation of production practices, resistant vegetable varieties, biological control using various natural enemies, and the judicious use of insecticides.
Bemisia tabaci Gennadius (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is among the most economically important insect pests of various vegetable crops in the Southern United States. This insect is considered a complex of at least 40 morphologically indistinguishable cryptic species. Bemisia tabaci Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1) was initially introduced in the United States around 1985 and has since rapidly spread across the Southern United States to Texas, Arizona, and California, where extreme field outbreaks have occurred on vegetable and other crops. This pest creates extensive plant damage through direct feeding on vegetables, secreting honeydew, causing plant physiological disorders, and vectoring plant viruses. The direct and indirect plant damage in vegetable crops has resulted in enormous economic losses in the Southern United States, especially in Florida, Georgia, and Texas. Effective management of B. tabaci on vegetables relies mainly on the utilization of chemical insecticides, particularly neonicotinoids. However, B. tabaci has developed considerable resistance to most insecticides. Therefore, alternative integrated pest management (IPM) strategies are required, such as cultural control by manipulation of production practices, resistant vegetable varieties, and biological control using a suite of natural enemies for the management of the pest.
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Keywords:
whiteflies; identification; biology; plant damage; IPM
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MDPI and ACS Style
Li, Y.; Mbata, G.N.; Punnuri, S.; Simmons, A.M.; Shapiro-Ilan, D.I. Bemisia tabaci on Vegetables in the Southern United States: Incidence, Impact, and Management. Insects 2021, 12, 198. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12030198
AMA Style
Li Y, Mbata GN, Punnuri S, Simmons AM, Shapiro-Ilan DI. Bemisia tabaci on Vegetables in the Southern United States: Incidence, Impact, and Management. Insects. 2021; 12(3):198. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12030198
Chicago/Turabian StyleLi, Yinping, George N. Mbata, Somashekhar Punnuri, Alvin M. Simmons, and David I. Shapiro-Ilan. 2021. "Bemisia tabaci on Vegetables in the Southern United States: Incidence, Impact, and Management" Insects 12, no. 3: 198. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects12030198
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