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Reducing whiteflies on cucumber using intercropping with less preferred vegetables
Author(s) -
Zhao Qing,
Zhu Junwei J.,
Qin Yuchuan,
Pan Pengliang,
Tu Hongtao,
Du Wenxiao,
Zhou Wangfang,
Baxendale Frederick P.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
entomologia experimentalis et applicata
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.765
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1570-7458
pISSN - 0013-8703
DOI - 10.1111/eea.12135
Subject(s) - whitefly , spinach , biology , asparagus , cucumis , intercropping , horticulture , brassica oleracea , brassica , botany , agronomy , ecology
The effectiveness of four less preferred vegetables – celery, asparagus lettuce, M alabar spinach, and edible amaranth – were investigated for suppression of two biotypes of sweet potato whitefly, B emisia tabaci ( G ennadius) ( H emiptera: A leyrodidae) on cucumber, C ucumis sativus L . ( C ucurbitaceae). Intercropping celery and M alabar spinach with cucumber significantly reduced whitefly numbers on cucumber. Y‐tube olfactometer behavioral assays revealed that whiteflies were strongly repelled from the aqueous extracts of the less preferred vegetables. The level of whitefly repellency varied with combinations of intercropped vegetables, and also differed between the two whitefly biotypes. For whitefly biotype B, the greatest repellency was observed with asparagus lettuce extract, whereas celery and Malabar spinach extracts were more repellent to whitefly biotype Q. Two major volatile constituent compounds were identified, D‐limonene from celery and geranyl nitrile from Malabar spinach. Sprayable 1% formulations of these compounds significantly reduced whitefly colonization on cucumber under field conditions.