Population Abundance of Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (GENN.) on Chilli Alone and Planted with Three Vegetable Crops Under Glasshouse Conditions

Population Abundance of Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (GENN.) on Chilli Alone and Planted with Three Vegetable Crops Under Glasshouse Conditions

Mansour, S.A.A¹, Khalid A. Saad¹, Mohamad Roff, M. N²,Ismail Abuzid¹ & Idris, A. B¹

¹School of Environmental and Natural Resource Sciences, Faculty of Science and Technology, National University Malaysia.²Horticulture Research Centre, MARDI Headquarters, Malaysia.

E-mail. Mansour_sm2001@yahoo.com

Abstract   

Bemisia tabaci (Genn) one of the most damaging pest for several vegetables in Malaysia which  affecting plant vigour, transmits geminiviruses and reduces crop quality. The objectives of the present study were to estimate the  population abundance of B. tabaci on Chilli (Capsicum annuum MC11) alone (non-choice test), MC11 planted with brinjal (Solanum melongena MTe1), with tomato (Solanum lycopersicum, MT1), with okra (Abelmoschus esculentus, MKBE1), and MC11 with MTel + MT1 + MKBE1 (choice test) under glasshouse condition. The sampling of   WF of adults, eggs and nymphs were obtained every 4 days on the underside surface of the leaf (abaxial) from upper, middle and lower stratum for one month. ANOVA showed that most of the total mean number of WF of adults, eggs and nymphs were significantly higher  (P< 0.05)   on chilli in   no-choice  experiment   than on chilli in free choice experiment with okra, tomato and brinjal. Results also showed that populations number of WF adults and eggs were significantly higher in the upper strata than in the middle and lower plant strata. Interestingly, the number of nymphs was found to be higher on the middle stratum than on the other strata in all treatments. This indicates that mixed crops will lower pest population and could indirectly reduce disease incidence transmitted by the pests.

Keywords: Bemisia tabaci, Capsicum annuum, Host plant preference.