Use of Beauveria Bassiana, an Entomopathogen, to Control Nymphs of Bemisia Argentifolii Under Field Conditions, 1995

Eight pairs of raised beds, 91 cm wide on 180 cm centers, were fertilized and maintained using the standard practices 3 wk before setting eggplant and tomato transplants in adjacent rows at 51 cm spacing. Two plots designated in each row for the trial were 6.5 m long and separated at either end by a 1 m buffer, to give two RCB designs (one for eggplant and other for tomato), each with 2 treatments and 8 replications. The treatment material was Mycotrol WP9504 (Mycotech Stain GHA spores, 22%; 4.4 X 1010 spores/g; Mycotech, Butte, MT) which was applied at a rate of 1.1 kg/ha (1 lb/acre) as recommended five times weekly from 21 Apr until 7 May 1995. Spray was delivered using a high clearance sprayer utilizing an hydraulic pump operating at 200 psi and equipped with drop nozzles, 8 “ATR Yellow” Albuz® hollow cone per row, to deliver 81 gpa. Weekly samples of SWF immatures from 24 Apr consisted of a single, 6th or 7th leaf from the terminal, leaf each from 3 randomly selected plants per plot, collected into plastic zip-lock bags, and brought back to the laboratory. Whitefly immatures (eggs, nymphs and pupae) were examined on four 1-cm2 disks, 2 on each side of the mid-vein. Eggs, young (1 st and 2nd instar) and old (3rd and 4th instar) nymphs and pupae (red-eyed nymphs) of SWF on 12 cm2 leaf area were counted under a stereomicroscope in the laboratory.