Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius)

Taxonomic position

Insecta: Hemiptera: Sternorrhyncha: Aleyrodidae

Common names

Tobacco whitefly, sweetpotato whitefly, cotton whitefly

Host plants

Polyphagous with over 600 hosts in different parts of the world, including cotton, tomato, sweetpotato, tobacco, cassava, pulses, chillies, brinjal, bhendi, ornamentals, etc.

Affected plants show numerous chlorotic spots on leaves/ yellowing and sometimes, sooty mould. Yellowing along veins, leaf curling, mosaics, etc. on affected plants probably indicate whitefly-transmitted viral diseases.

Pest status

Minor, sporadically serious in field crops. Serious in protected cultivation.

A major vector of viral diseases and is known to transmit more than 60 plant viruses like cassava mosaic virus, tomato yellow leaf curl virus, cotton leaf curl geminivirus, tobacco leaf curl, etc.

Images