Interaction between host plant morphological characteristics with life history of the greenhouse whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum

Sakineh Naeim Amini | Ali Golizadeh | Bahram Tafaghodinia | Jabraeil Razmjou | Habib Abbasipour

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URL :   http://research.shahed.ac.ir/WSR/WebPages/Report/PaperView.aspx?PaperID=158806
Date :  2021/09/19
Publish in :    Arthropod-Plant Interactions
DOI :  https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-021-09870-0
Link :  http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s11829-021-09870-0
Keywords :Whitefly?· Life history?· Host plant morphology?· Interaction

Abstract :

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Life history parameters of the greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood), as an important pest of greenhouse crops in Iran were investigated under greenhouse conditions on cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.), jelly melon (Cucumis metuliferus May), and bitter melon Momordica charantia (Hook). Also, morphological features of host plants such as density and size of leaf stomata, the density and length of leaf trichomes, and chlorophyll content were studied and their relationship with biological and population growth parameters of T. vaporariorum were examined. Our research indicated that morphological characteristics of tested host plants had significant differences with each other. Moreover, the tested host plants had significant effects on life history and demographic parameters of T. vaporariorum. The population growth parameters, fecundity, and reproduction period were higher for the greenhouse whitefly reared on cucumber. The intrinsic rate of increase of T. vaporariorum on cucumber and jelly melon was 0.089 ± 0.006 and 0.0202 ± 0.007, respectively. The greenhouse whitefly was not able to complete its life cycle on bitter melon, so this plant cannot be considered a suitable host plant for this pest. Significantly positive or negative canonical correlations approved by canonical correlation analysis (CCA) were observed between life history variables and morphological features with chlorophyll content of host plants. According to CCA results, density and size of stomata as well as density of trichomes are dominant predictors. C. sativus with the highest density of leaf stomata (54.2 ± 0.31) and trichomes (72.87 ± 3.8) was preferred by T. vaporariorum.