engleski

Preliminary results of sweet potato whitefly feeding behaviour on tomato plants using electrical penetration graph

Sweet potato whitefly, SPW, (Bemisia tabaci) causes extensive damage to vegetables in greenhouses worldwide. The control of insects such as potato whitefly is very difficult, but the study of their feeding behavior can provide adequate information on the factors that disturb the growth and development of these pest. Electrical penetration graph (EPG) is a useful tool to study the feeding habits of sucking insects. The objective of our study was to record and interpret SPW feeding on untreated and treated (2% kaolin clay) tomato plants using the EPG Giga- 8dd. Recordings were scheduled for seven hours with eight channels connected to eight plants during each recording. The experiment was repeated for four days. The data were analyzed using the EPG Stylet+a program. The results of EPG recordings showed that the first waveforms appeared when the leaf tissue was pierced, mostly in the third hour after the beginning of harvest. The C wave occurred in all individuals (100%). The E1 waveform was of shorter duration and occurred before the E2 wave. The E2 wave, i.e., the phloem- swallowing wave or feeding, occurred after the E1 wave and lasted much longer, approximately 27 minutes. Wave G (xylem feeding) was achieved by 87.5% of individuals on treated plants four times during one recording, and 75% on untreated plants three times per insect. When comparing C-wave values in recordings made on untreated and treated tomato plants, it was found that plant treatment had no effect on leaf tissue probing success. Using this method, it is possible to visualize the feeding behavior of hemipterans in real time. Understanding this process could lead to finding weak points in feeding and better protecting plants from this harmful species.

Bemisia tabaci, hemipteran insects, electrical penetration graph, insect-plant interactions

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