Greenhouse Tomato Cultivar Effects on Bemisia tabaci Adult Numbers across Initial Infestation Levels
ISSN 2158-9429
Volume 18, Issue 2 - December 2025
Editor: Bindu Poudel-Ward
Abstract
Sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, is a key greenhouse tomato pest. We evaluated five cultivars in randomized blocks under low, moderate, and high starting infestations. Adults per third fully expanded leaf were counted weekly for four weeks and analyzed (ANOVA/Tukey). Under low pressure, cultivars did not differ early, but by Week 4, ‘Husky Cherry’ and ‘Better Boy’ were highest, ‘Roma’ intermediate, and ‘Sweet 100’ and ‘Beefsteak’ lowest. Under moderate pressure, differences were transient. Under high pressure, no differences were detected. Cultivar effects were therefore pressure-dependent. Selection can aid management at low pressure, whereas higher pressures require broader IPM.
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