ARS | Publication request: The Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) as a pest in Egypt

Submitted to: Advances in Agricultural Research in Egypt
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: November 22, 2011
Publication Date: November 21, 2012
Citation: Abd-Rabou, S., Simmons, A.M. 2012. The Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) as a pest in Egypt. Advances in Agricultural Research in Egypt. 10:1-82.

Interpretive Summary: Bemisia tabaci has many common names including sweetpotato whitefly, silverleaf whitefly, tobacco whitefly, tomato whitefly, and cassava whitefly. It is an important pest of many field and greenhouse agricultural crops around the world. It damages plants when it feeds by sucking sap and by transmitting plant viruses to crops. We have conducted extensive research on this pest within and outside of Egypt for over a decade. Also, many other researchers have studied this pest insect in Egypt during nearly a century. In this article, we review the literature on this whitefly in Egypt including the topics of host plants, whitefly populations dymanics, natural enemies, viruses that it transmits, management strategies, and other information. This information is useful for ongoing progress on the development of sound whitefly management strategies that can be disseminated by extension workers and ultimately used by crop producers.

Technical Abstract: Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) has many common names including sweetpotato whitefly, silverleaf whitefly, tobacco whitefly, tomato whitefly, and cassava whitefly. It is an important global pest of numerous field and greenhouse agricultural crops. It damages plants from its feeding and indirectly by plant viruses that it transmits to crops. We have conducted extensive research, primarily on the B-Biotype and secondarily on the Q-biotype of this pest, within and outside of Egypt for over a decade. Also, many other researchers have studied this pest in Egypt during nearly a century. In this article, we review the literature on this whitefly in Egypt including host plants, population ecology, natural enemies (notably parasitoids and predators), viruses that it transmits, effect of biorational and conventional pesticides on B. tabaci and its natural enemies, assorted other management strategies, and other information. This information is useful for ongoing progress on the development of sound whitefly management strategies.