Resistance to silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia argentifolii (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in Gossypium thurberi, a wild cotton species

摘要

The whitefly species, Bemisia argentifolii Bellows & Perring and B. tabaci (Gennadius), are worldwide cotton pests causing economic losses via yield reduction, lint contamination, and by viral disease transmission. Most studies searching for host plant resistance to whiteflies in cotton focused on two morphological traits, smooth-leaf and okra-leaf shape. The smooth-leaf trait is consistently associated with lowered whitefly susceptibility. Okra-leaf trait results are mixed; it is associated with lowered whitefly susceptibility in some studies, while a slight effect, no effect, or even the opposite effect occurred in other studies. Neither of these traits provides whitefly resistance levels that can be solely relied upon in commercial cotton production. The wild cotton species, Gossypium thurberi Todaro, demonstrated a high level of whitefly resistance in an Arizona trial (Wilson et al. 1993).