The potential of trap and barrier cropping to decrease densities of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci MED on cotton in China

Abstract

BACKGROUND The whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) MED, is a destructive insect pest in many countries of the world. Although the use of insecticides for controlling B. tabaci has been effective to a certain extent, pesticides are not an acceptable long‐term control method, and alternatives should be sought. This paper focuses on the possibility of controlling B. tabaci on cotton using trap and barrier crops. We performed field experiments using cantaloupe (Cucumis melo) and sunflower (Helianthus annuus) as trap crops, and maize (Zea mays) as a barrier crop in various configurations in Hebei Province, North China. RESULTS The main activity periods were shortest on cantaloupe and ranged between 16–32 days for immatures and 14–33 days for adults. Adult whitefly densities were not significantly reduced by any treatment. During the main activity period, maize intercropping reduced densities of immature whiteflies from 24.2 individuals (ind.) 100 cm−2 to 4.0 ind.100 cm−2, but all treatments were successful in significantly reducing immature B. tabaci densities. This resulted in a significant yield premium. CONCLUSIONS Intercropping reduced B. tabaci densities on cotton more than perimeter planting. Maize was more effective to reduce densities of immature whiteflies on cotton than cantaloupe. The results will contribute to the development of more effective and practical approaches for protecting cotton from B. tabaci and lowering chemical pressure on this crop. © 2019 Society of Chemical Industry

The Parasitoid Eretmocerus hayati Is Compatible with Barrier Cropping to Decrease Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci MED) Densities on Cotton in China

“…Cantaloupe, by attracting whiteflies, can reduce whitefly densities in cotton, but its effectiveness is influenced by the planting pattern [26,59]. An interesting difference was the impact of cantaloupe on whitefly densities, which performed well in these experiments but was not similarly effective earlier [26].…”

“…Densities were based on our census in 2011 [26] under calm, sunny periods. Numbers released were determined by the amount of parasitoids available at the time.…”

“…However, the method does not always work; densities of B. tabaci and virus incidence can be higher on cassava when intercropped with maize than in monoculture [25]. Trap and barrier cropping experiments in China indicate that intercropping is more effective than perimeter planting to reduce whitefly densities in cotton, and maize is more effective in this role than sunflower or cantaloupe [26]. Nonetheless, whitefly densities can remain above the economic damage threshold, thus the possibility of combining this with other methods of pest control is worth exploring.…”

IOT-Based Cotton Whitefly Prediction Using Deep Learning

“…Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) is one of them, having a severe effect on cotton crop yield [6]. e attack of whitefly is a global problem for cotton crop with extreme danger to worldwide sustainable agricultural development [7].…”

Genomic-Assisted Marker Development Suitable for CsCvy-1 Selection in Cucumber Breeding

“…Although chemical pesticides have been used to control the whitefly insect vector, concerns to human health, occurrence of insecticide resistance, and damage to the environment led to a search for alternative measures (Sani et al, 2020 ). Use of microbial biological control agents (MBCA), such as entomopathogenic fungi (Faria and Wraight, 2001 ; Sani et al, 2020 ), use of barrier or trap crops (Zhang et al, 2020 ), and use of beneficial insects, such as predators or parasitoids (Moreno-Ripoll et al, 2014 ), have been considered.…”