| Silverleaf whitefly | ||||||||||||||
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| Bemisia argentifolii Bellows and Perring |
The silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia argentifolii, formerly referred to as sweetpotato whitefly-strain B Bemisia tabaci) is one of several whiteflies that are currently important agricultural pests. The silverleaf whitefly was first found in poinsettia crops in Florida in the mid-1980's. It was found to have moved on to tomatoes and other fruit and vegetable crops less than a year later. Within five years, the silverleaf whitefly had caused over $100 million in damage to the Texas and California agriculture industries. The silverleaf whitefly attacks a multitude of agricultural plants, including squash, melons, cole crops, cucumber, eggplant, peanut, soybeans, cotton, and many ornamentals. In addition to inflicting typical whitefly-type damage on plants, this species can transmit plant viruses such as geminiviruses. The broad mite (Polyphagotarsonemus latus) also uses the whitefly as a dispersal mechanism by clinging to the legs of the fly and dropping off at another plant.[1] The adult silverleaf whitefly is about 1 millimeter in length and pale yellow in color. This particular pest has been shown to be a good candidate for biological control, as it has several natural enemies, including parasitic wasps such as Encarsia and Eretmocerus spp.
References
- ^ Fan, Yuqing; Petitt, Frederick L. (Jul 1998). "Dispersal of the broad mite, Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Acari: Tarsonemidae) on Bemisia argentifolii (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae)". Experimental & Applied Acarology 22 (7): 411-5. doi:10.1023/A:1006045911286. Retrieved on 2007-02-21.
