Bemisia: Pest Status, Economics, Biology, and Population Dynamics

Publisher Summary Increased globalization of agriculture and floriculture and international transport of plant material have contributed to the introduction of variant forms of both Bemisia tabaci and viruses to the regions where they were previously unknown. Crop losses due to B. tabaci -transmitted viruses, recently introduced into new areas or characterized and described for the first time, have also contributed to the problem. Establishment of virulent whitefly biotypes and viruses continues in new geographical areas and emphasizes the need for greater focus on B. tabaci as a serious crop pest and virus vector. Bemisia tabaci is broadly tolerant of harsh environmental conditions. It routinely survives and sometimes flourishes in desert climates that may range between -2° and 50°C. It is also highly adaptable to extreme stress factors such as insecticides, as evidenced by the multiple mechanisms of resistance that have evolved in populations around the world. Bemisia tabaci has often been considered as an “upset” pest, induced to damage crop levels through misuse of insecticides. The key to the successful management of any agricultural pest is to understand its intrinsic potential for increase in various environments while also knowing the capacity of countermeasures to suppress population growth. More information on the biology and population dynamics of B. tabaci is becoming available as it gains importance in additional regions. This chapter examines the basic life history traits of B. tabaci and how they have contributed to an organism that is now widely recognized for its explosive populations and elevated pest status.