Evaluation of a push-pull system for managing the silverleaf whitefly, Bemisia tabaci(Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), in organic squash

The sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius, 1889) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), is a major pest of squash in Florida. B. tabaci uses both visual and olfactory cues to find host plants, and these host-finding behaviors can be exploited for management purposes. A push-pull system utilizing these behaviors for managing B. tabaci was evaluated in a 2020 field study in organic squash. The pull component consisted of a yellow sticky trap around the perimeter of the field, and the push component consisted of one of three treatments, limonene and kaolin (Surround®), an insecticidal soap (M-Pede®), and a combination of the former two treatments. Each push treatment was tested alone or in combination with the pull component, and the pull component was also tested alone, for a total of seven treatments and an open-field control. The limonene and kaolin treatment was found to be just as effective as the M-Pede treatment at reducing whitefly densities and combining the two treatments had an additive effect. In addition, the yellow sticky traps reduced whitefly densities when used alone and had an additive effect when combined with each of the push treatments. This push-pull system may serve as an additional tool in managing whitefly populations in organic squash.