Reduced Incidence of Tomato Plants with Symptoms of Tomato yellow leaf curl virus Infection Grown on Ultraviolet-reflective Soil Mulch

摘要

Biotype B of the sweet potato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Genn.) is a major economic pest of tomatoes, Solanum lycopersi-cum (L.) in southern Florida. Most economic damage occurs through the transmission of Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) on tomato. Ultraviolet light reflective (metalized) polyethylene mulch was evaluated as an alternative method to insecticides for managing whitefly adults and TYLCV. In studies conducted in the spring seasons of 2005 and 2006, whitefly adult abundance and incidence of plants with symptoms of TYLCV infection were compared for tomato plants grown on raised beds covered with a metalized mulch, a black mulch, or a white on black virtually impermeable film mulch. The numbers of whitefly adults did not always differstatistically on specific sampling dates on plants grown on the different mulches; however, the cumulative numbers of adults over sampling dates did. A lower percentage of tomato plants grown on metalized mulch had symptoms of TYLCV infection compared totomato plants grown on black or white mulch film in 2005 and to plants grown on white mulch in 2006. Using metalized mulch can contribute to management of whitefly adults and TYLCV.