Population dynamics of whitefly and its management in tomato using integrated approaches

Abstract:

Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci Gennadius) is defined as the single most damaging sucking pest of tomato in subtropical China, functioning both as a direct feeder and as the main vector of Tomato leaf curl virus. This research assessed population dynamics and compared six management strategies against whitefly in open-field tomato during Kharif 2023 at the Yellow River Institute of Agricultural Sciences, Zhengzhou, Henan. Peak whitefly density coincided with September when mean temperature reached 26.8°C and relative humidity fell below 60%. Spiromesifen 0.8 mL/L recorded the lowest population (6.1 adults/3 leaves) and highest yield (38.7 t/ha), followed by imidacloprid (8.4 adults, 36.2 t/ha). The integrated module combining yellow sticky traps + neem oil + spiromesifen rotation achieved 72.8% population reduction over the season. Beauveria bassiana showed moderate efficacy (34.8% reduction) but slower onset. These results support a rotation-based IPM calendar for whitefly management in Henan's open-field tomato production.