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Attraction of Trialeurodes vaporariorum and Bemisia argentifolii to eggplant, and its potential as a trap crop for whitefly management on greenhouse poinsettia
Author(s) -
Lee DooHyung,
Nyrop Jan P.,
Sanderson John P.
Publication year - 2009
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/j.1570-7458.2009.00920.x
Subject(s) - trialeurodes , poinsettia , biology , trap crop , greenhouse whitefly , whitefly , homoptera , agronomy , solanum , horticulture , pest analysis , crop , inflorescence , bract
Trap cropping, though promising, has had little evaluation in greenhouses. This study evaluated eggplant, Solanum melongena L. (Solanaceae), as a trap crop for two whitefly species, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) and Bemisia argentifolii Bellows & Perring (both Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), on greenhouse poinsettia, Euphorbia pulcherrima Willd. ex Koltz (Euphorbiaceae). Because the two whitefly species co‐occur in greenhouses, a common trap crop for both whiteflies is desirable. When adults were provided a choice between eggplant and poinsettia in a cage, 60% of B. argentifolii and 98% of T. vaporariorum were observed on eggplant after 3 days. However, when adults were given eggplant after first settling on poinsettia, only 38% of B. argentifolii were later found on eggplant, whereas 95% of T. vaporariorum moved to eggplant. In a greenhouse experiment, eggplant did not affect either the spatial distribution or density of adult B. argentifolii on poinsettias. In contrast, eggplant changed the spatial distribution of T. vaporariorum within 3 days by attracting and retaining the adults. However, the attractiveness of eggplant did not result in a reduced number of T. vaporariorum on poinsettias compared with poinsettias in monoculture. Adult T. vaporariorum mortality was high on poinsettias and this likely caused adult density on poinsettias in monoculture to decrease as fast as that under trap cropping. A simulation model was developed to examine how adult whitefly mortality on poinsettia influences trap cropping effectiveness. When whitefly mortality was high, simulated densities were similar to the experimental data. This reveals an unexpected factor, pest mortality on the main crop, that can influence the relative effectiveness of trap cropping. Our results indicate that eggplant will not work unilaterally as a trap crop for B. argentifolii . For T. vaporariorum , attraction to eggplant might be useful as a trap crop system when whitefly mortality on the main crop is not high.