Tiny Flies: A Mighty Pest That Threatens Agricultural Productivity—A Case for Next-Generation Control Strategies of Whiteflies

Abstract

Whiteflies are a group of universally occurring insects that are considered to be a serious pest in their own way for causing both direct and indirect damages to crops. A few of them serve as vectors of plant viruses that are detrimental to the crop in question and cause an actual loss in productivity. A lot of attention is focused on pest control measures under the umbrella of IPM. In this review, we attempt to summarize the existing literature on how and why whiteflies are a serious concern for agriculture and society. We reviewed why there could be a need for fresh insight into the ways and means with which the pest can be combated. Here, we have emphasized next-generation strategies based on macromolecules, i.e., RNA interference and genetic engineering (for the expression of anti-whitefly proteins), as these strategies possess the greatest scope for research and improvement in the future. Recent scientific efforts based on nanotechnology and genome editing, which seem to offer great potential for whitefly/crop pest control, have been discussed. Comprehensive apprehensions related to obstacles in the path of taking lab-ready technologies into the farmers’ field have also been highlighted. Although the use of RNAi, GM crops, nanotechnologies, for the control of whiteflies needs to be evaluated in the field, there is an emerging range of possible applications with promising prospects for the control of these tiny flies that are mighty pests.

Heat‐shock protein 70—a hub gene—underwent adaptive evolution involved in whitefly‐wild tomato interaction

“…For example, HSP70 contributes to the spread of the virus during the interaction between whitefly and Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV). 58,59 Moreover, in Drosophila, HSP70 can also regulate the expression of human polyglutamine disease proteins. 60 In addition, intracellular Hsp70 plays a key role in protein balance.…”

“…In addition to its role in the heat‐shock reaction, 57 HSP70 apparently also participates in the nonheat shock process. For example, HSP70 contributes to the spread of the virus during the interaction between whitefly and Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) 58,59 . Moreover, in Drosophila, HSP70 can also regulate the expression of human polyglutamine disease proteins 60 .…”

Whitefly effector G4 interacts with tomato proteins of which MIPDB141 affects whitefly performance

“…The silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia tabaci , is a priority pest globally. It has a broad host range and the damage it inflicts directly and indirectly cause tremendous economic losses in agriculture (Saurabh et al, 2021). Direct damage is caused by the insect’s phloem feeding while the major indirect damage is a result of the transmission of many plant damaging viruses (reviewed in Fiallo-Olivé et al (2020)) but also since the honeydew it secretes attracts secondary plant damaging organisms.…”

Lytic Polysaccharide Monooxygenase Activity of Tma12 Is Critical for Its Toxicity to Whitefly

“…16,17 It damages plants by sucking nutrients and transmitting pathogenic viruses, which can cause yield loss of up to 100%. 18,19 Chemical pesticides are the most commonly used agents to control whiteflies due to their immediate impact. However, non-judicious use has led the insect to evolve resistance to chemical pesticides.…”

“…Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) is a cryptic species complex comprising 46 morphologically indistinguishable and reproductively isolated species. , It feeds on more than 900 plant species and has immense potential to adapt to new plants. , It also acts as a supervector and transmits more than 300 disease-causing plant viruses belonging to five different genera (Begomovirus, Ipomovirus, Crinivirus, Carlavirus, and Torradovirus), among which 90% belongs to Begomovirus. , It damages plants by sucking nutrients and transmitting pathogenic viruses, which can cause yield loss of up to 100%. , Chemical pesticides are the most commonly used agents to control whiteflies due to their immediate impact. However, non-judicious use has led the insect to evolve resistance to chemical pesticides. , To overcome whitefly-mediated yield losses, RNAi and plant lectins have been deployed for the control of whitefly, but strategies could not succeed due to lower efficacy and adverse effects on non-target insect species. , …”