Must read research

One thing that has not changed during my time involved with greenhouse horticulture is that no one has figured out how to eliminate whitefly from their production systems in NZ. With less chemistry than other nations it is becoming increasingly difficult to control whitefly populations. We have had success with beneficial insects such as Encarsia but when Tomato Potato Psyllid (TPP) became an issue – growers had to go back to hard chemicals or face having crops decimated from Candidatus Liberabacter solanacearum. Soaps and other more natural options have been used, to good effect, but it is still an ongoing issue.

The article below is an interesting read. It details research using different frequencies and vibration to disturb whitefly populations. The benefits could be huge to the industry, reducing the reliance on chemicals and other forms of spraying.

Read the complete research at www.researchgate.net. 

Source:

Sekine, Takayuki & Takanashi, Takuma & Onodera, Ryuichi & Oe, Takaho & Komagata, Yasuyuki & Abe, Shota & Koike, Takuji. (2022). Potential of substrate-borne vibration to control greenhouse whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum and increase pollination efficiencies in tomato Solanum lycopersicum. Journal of Pest Science. 1-12. 10.1007/s10340-022-01564-7.

Whitefly can rapidly reproduce and cause severe damage to crops.  the cost to a business each year can be large.

Article written and compiled by Stefan Vogrincic

All Article’s checked and edited by Marie Vogrincic

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