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Research Project: Basic and Applied Approaches for Pest Management in Vegetable Crops

Location: Vegetable Research

Title: Breeding vegetables for whitefly resistance: past, present, and future in the AI era

Author
item JAGANATHAN, DEEPA - University Of Georgia
item DUTTA, BHABESH - University Of Georgia
item BASU, SAUMIK - University Of Georgia
item BAG, SAUMIK - University Of Georgia
item SRINIVASAN, RAJAGOPALBABU - University Of Georgia
item EYBISHITZ, ASSAF - World Vegetable Center
item BARCHENGER, DEREK - World Vegetable Center
item Simmons, Alvin
item NANKAR, AMOL - University Of Georgia

Submitted to: Frontiers in Plant Science
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/26/2025
Publication Date: 1/30/2026
Citation: Jaganathan, D., Dutta, B., Basu, S., Bag, S., Srinivasan, R., Eybishitz, A., Barchenger, D., Simmons, A.M., Nankar, A.N. 2026. Breeding vegetables for whitefly resistance: past, present, and future in the AI era. Frontiers in Plant Science. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2025.1724403.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fpls.2025.1724403

Interpretive Summary: N/A

Technical Abstract: Whiteflies (primarily Bemisia tabaci and Trialeurodes vaporariorum) are among the most destructive insect pests in global vegetable agriculture. They inflict damage through direct phloem feeding and from the transmission of over 300 plant viruses, including Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV), Pepper yellow mosaic virus (PepYMV), and Bean golden mosaic virus (BGMV). Their rapid reproduction, polyphagy, pesticide resistance, and expanding geographic range under atypical weather conditions have rendered them formidable adversaries in many vegetable crops. However, this review emphasizes reseach on tomato, pepper, eggplant, and snapbean. During the past six decades, host plant resistance has emerged as a sustainable cornerstone of integrated whitefly management. This review summarizes the advances in breeding for whitefly resistance in vegetable crops, covers classical approaches based on antixenosis, antibiosis, and tolerance, and highlights key resistance sources from wild relatives and landraces. We discuss the deployment of marker-assisted selection, quantitative trait loci (QTL) mapping, and early applications of genomic selection (GS), alongside recent breakthroughs in CRISPR/Cas-based editing, and speed breeding. Further, we examine the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI), high-throughput phenotyping (HTP), and multiomics platforms (including transcriptomics, metabolomics, and epigenetics) in unravelling complex resistance traits and accelerating cultivar development. Emphasis is placed on underutilized genotypes and the integration of whitefly resistance with other breeding priorities under climate-resilient frameworks. As science enters into the AI era in plant breeding, strategic deployment of these technologies offers unprecedented opportunities to develop resilient, high-performing cultivars tailored to whitefly-prone agroecosystems worldwide.