In addition to constitutive plant resistance against pests or pathogens, plants can activate protective mechanisms upon contact with an invader or a chemical elicitor. Studies on induced plant resistance to herbivores, especially piercing-sucking insects, are less abundant than those devoted to pathogens. Several experiments under controlled conditions have been conducted to demonstrate that in...

Bemisia tabaci (G.) is an important pest and a vector of Gemini viruses infecting plants. During the process of feeding B. tabaci excretes honeydew which is rich in nutrients, and an excellent medium for microbial growth. Recent report proved that volatile emitted by the honeydew associated bacteria of aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum Harris was involved in natural enemy calling. Thus understanding t...

We determined effects of aerial sprays of the insect growth regulator pyriproxyfen on sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (B biotype), in Arizona cotton (Gossypium spp.) fields. We measured survival for males and females from a susceptible strain and a laboratory-selected resistant strain, as well as for hybrid female progeny from crosses between the strains. Insects were exposed d...

The relationships between leaf trichomedensities, leaf age, and sweetpotatowhiteßy, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) biotype B, infestations of 13 upland cotton, Gossypium hirsutum L., cultivars were investigated in 1990 and 2000. Stoneville 474 supported higher numbers of B. tabaci biotype B eggs, nymphs and adults, and also had higher numbers of stellate trichomes on abaxial leaf surfaces compared ...

BACKGROUND Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) is a phloem-feeding insect poised to become one of the major insect pests in open field and greenhouse production systems throughout the world. The high level of resistance to insecticides is a main factor that hinders continued use of insecticides for suppression of B. tabaci. Despite its prevalence, little is known about B. tabaci at the genome level. To ...

In this study, we investigated the tritrophic interactions among a persistently transmitted plant virus, Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), its insect vector, the sweetpotato whitefly Bemisia tabaci, and a parasitoid, Encarsia formosa Gahan, one of the most extensively used biological control agents. As an emerging invasive pest worldwide, the two most damaging whiteflies are B. tabaci B an...

BACKGROUND Bemisia tabaci, a polyphagous insect with over 900 host plants, is an effective vector of more than 100 plant viruses. Being highly fecund, B. tabaci has the potential to develop insecticide resistance rapidly, as demonstrated by reports of use failures with MEAM1 and MED cryptic species (commonly known as biotypes B and Q respectively). Insecticide resistance management is a key com...

Chemosensory proteins (CSPs) are believed to play a key role in the chemosensory process in insects. Sequencing genomic DNA and RNA encoding CSP1, CSP2 and CSP3 in the sweet potato whitefly Bemisia tabaci showed strong variation between B and Q biotypes. Analyzing CSP-RNA levels showed not only biotype, but also age and developmental stage-specific expression. Interestingly, applying neonicotin...

The whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) is a widely distributed pest of many important food and fiber crops. This whitefly is also a vector of more than 70 plant-infecting viruses. A cell line was established in vitro using embryonic tissues from the eggs of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), B biotype (pseudonym B. argentifolii Bellows & Perring), and referred to as 'Btb(Ba)97, Hunter-Polston'. Cell ...

Plant viruses can produce direct and plant-mediated indirect effects on their insect vectors, modifying their life cycle, fitness and behavior. Viruses may benefit from such changes leading to enhanced transmission efficiency and spread. In our study, female adults of Bemisia tabaci were subjected to an acquisition access period of 72 h in Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV)-infected and non-...