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ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #103336
Title: UPLAND COTTON SUSCEPTIBILITY TO SILVERLEAF WHITEFLY INFESTATIONS

Author
item Chu, Chang Chi
item NATWICK, E. - COOP RES, HOLTVILLE, CA
item Brushwood, Donald
item Henneberry, Thomas
item Castle, Steven
item Cohen, Allen

Submitted to: Sweetpotato Whitefly Progress Review Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/1/1999
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Fifteen upland cotton cultivars were evaluated in the field for susceptibility to silverleaf whitefly in Imperial Valley, CA from 1992 to 1996. All cultivars were susceptible to whitefly infestation. Sticky cotton occurred and lint yields were low in all cultivars. In 1995 and 1996, in each case, nine untreated and insecticide-treated cultivars were compared using 4.1 adults per leaf turn as an insecticide-treatment action threshold. Lint yields of the insecticide-treated plots were from 1.2 to 7.9 X in 1995 and from 0.35 to 4.0 X in 1996 when compared to lint yields of untreated plots. On the bases of the 4.1 adults per leaf cotton threshold, DPL 5409 and 5415 on average required 5.5 insecticide applications, DPL 50, 5461, and 5517 required six applications, and DPL 5432 and 5690 required 6.5 applications. LA 887 required seven applications and ST 474 required 7.5 applications. In a no-choice greenhouse trial in 1997, equal numbers of B. argentifolii eggs and nymphs were produced in small leaf cages for the nine cultivars and adult emergence was not significantly different between cultivars. Results suggest the potential to reduce insecticide applications by selecting appropriate cultivars currently available. Identification of resistance mechanisms and development of breeding programs to incorporate resistance into acceptable upland cultivars appears to be a promising approach for whitefly control.