Monitoring of biotypes and occurrence of Bemisia tabaci in Jiangsu Province, China
Author of the article:CAI Li** XU Li-Li DU Yi-Mei DU Yu-Zhou ***
Author's Workplace：School of Horticulture and Plant Protection & Institute of Applied Entomology, Yangzhou University, Yangzhou 225009, China
Key Words：Bemisia tabaci, biotype, occurrence and damage, Jiangsu Province
Abstract： [Objectives] Biotypes Q and B are two of the most prevalent cryptic species of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleypdidae) and have consequently been the focus of considerable research as this pest has spread rapidly around the world. In an extensive field survey of the B. tabaci complex throughout Jiangsu Province from 2010 to 2013, we investigated the occurrence and distribution of these two whiteflies in Jiangsu Province. [Methods] Microscopic examination was used to detect crop damage caused by B.tabaci, and a rapid test for identifying biotypes was conducted based on the mtCOⅠgene. [Results] Crop damage first increased in 2011 then decreased in 2013. Similarly, damage also first increased then declined in South and North Jiangsu, but in the Central Jiangsu the opposite trend was apparent. Moreover, damage to eggplant, cucumber and pumpkin crops was relatively high. [Conclusion] The results show that the abundance of B. tabaci differs from year to year in different regions and on different hosts. The resultant differences in crop damage have no direct relationship to the population dynamics of the two whitefly biotypes. Although biotype Q has replaced biotype B as the dominant biotype in Jiangsu Province, we still could detect a small, but gradually increasing, proportion of biotype B in southern and northern Jiangsu.