Outbreaks of Bemisia tabaci Mediterranean species in vegetable crops in São Paulo and Paraná States, Brazil

Abstract

<jats:title>Abstract</jats:title><jats:p>The whitefly, <jats:italic>Bemisia tabaci</jats:italic> (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), is one of the most important agricultural pests and virus vectors worldwide. <jats:italic>Bemisia tabaci</jats:italic> is considered a complex of cryptic species with at least 44 species. Among them, the species Middle East-Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1, formerly B biotype) and Mediterranean (MED, formerly Q biotype) are the most important, and they have attained global status. In Brazil, MEAM1 was first reported in the 1990s and is currently the predominant species in the country, meanwhile, MED was recently reported in the South and Southeast regions and was found to be mainly associated with ornamental plants. Currently, an increasing problem in the management of whitefly infestations in greenhouses associated with bell pepper was observed in São Paulo State, Brazil. The whiteflies were collected and identified based on a microsatellite locus (primer pair BEM23F and BEM23R) and the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene followed by restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis and sequencing. We observed that MED was the predominant species collected on bell pepper, but it was also found on tomato, cucumber, eggplant, and weeds grown in greenhouses. In open field, we found MED on tomatoes, bell peppers, and eggplants. In addition, MED was identified in Goiás State in association with ornamental plants. The begomovirus <jats:italic>Tomato severe rugose virus</jats:italic> and the crinivirus <jats:italic>Tomato chlorosis virus</jats:italic> was detected on bell pepper and tomato, respectively. Only MED specimens were found associated with the virus-infected plants. Moreover, we also investigated the endosymbionts present in the MED whiteflies. The collected populations of <jats:italic>B. tabaci</jats:italic> MED harbored a diversity of secondary endosymbionts, with <jats:italic>Hamiltonella</jats:italic> (H) found predominantly in 89 specimens of the 129 tested. These results represent a new concern for Brazilian agriculture, especially for the management of the newly introduced whitefly MED species, which must be implemented to limit the spreading and establishment of this pest in different crops in this country.</jats:p>

Population Dynamics of Whiteflies and Associated Viruses in South America: Research Progress and Perspectives

“…In Brazil, a similar study was performed, including the main crops grown in this country, showing that when reared on sweet pepper, MED displaced MEAM1, whereas MEAM1 displaced MED on tomato [91]. The recent outbreaks of MED in sweet pepper reported in São Paulo and the Paraná States of Brazil confirmed the previous results [92]. Additionally, when reared on common beans, MED also displaced MEAM1, but when reared on soybean or cotton, both whiteflies coexisted, without one dominating over the other [91].…”

“…When referring to chemical control, a new scenario has been designed in South America, and this has started since the recent invasion of the cryptic species B. tabaci MED in the continent. In Brazil, it has been establishing itself in sweet pepper in high infestations in the State of São Paulo [92] and has the potential to adapt and cause damage to bean, soybean, and cotton crops [91]. In China, since the arrival in 2003 [247], MED became the dominant cryptic species in the region [195].…”

Detection of Bemisia tabaci Mediterranean cryptic species on soybean in São Paulo and Paraná States (Brazil) and interaction of cowpea mild mottle virus with whiteflies

“…Due to the high variability of endosymbionts in MED, and the fact that they are well studied and established in MEAM1 populations in Brazil (Bello et al, 2019(Bello et al, , 2020Moraes et al, 2017Moraes et al, , 2018, only MED specimens were screened for endosymbiont composition.…”

“…Since then, an intense increase in soybean areas associated with the abusive use of nonselective insecticides has contributed to the occurrence of B. tabaci on soybean fields (Arnemann et al, 2019). B. tabaci MED was detected in the southernmost regions of Brazil in 2014 and since then, multiple detections of the MED species have been reported in the south, south-east, and mid-west regions of the country associated with ornamental plants and vegetable crops (Bello et al, 2020;Moraes et al, 2017Moraes et al, , 2018Krause-Sakate et al, 2020). MED has been responsible for serious problems worldwide in the last two decades, mainly associated with resistance to insecticides, which caused its rapid invasion and dominance in new ecological niches and countries (Horowitz et al, 2020;Horowitz & Ishaaya, 2014).…”

Effects of cowpea mild mottle virus on soybean cultivars in Brazil

“…Bemisia tabaci is widely spread in Brazil, and the Middle East Asia Minor 1 (MEAM1, known as B biotype) is the prevalent species on major crops across the country ( Moraes et al, 2018 ). The species Mediterranean (MED, also known as biotype Q), which was firstly reported in the South region of our country ( Fonseca Barbosa et al, 2015 ) was also detected in different states of Brazil associated with ornamental plants, and more rencently, MED was found in greenhouses and open field in the Southeastern of Brazil ( Moraes et al, 2017 , 2018 ; Bello et al, 2020 ).…”