Biodiv Sci ›› 2006, Vol. 14 ›› Issue (4): 333-339.  DOI: 10.1360/biodiv.050276

Special Issue: 昆虫多样性与生态功能

• Editorial • Previous Articles     Next Articles

Host plant effects on the morphological and biological characteristics of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) biotype B

Chen Luo, Xiaojun Guo, Mei Yue, Yuyong Xiang, Zhili Zhang   

  1. Institute of Plant and Environment Protection, Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences, Beijing 100089, China
  • Received:2005-12-26 Revised:2006-05-25 Online:2006-07-20 Published:2006-07-20
  • Contact: Chen Luo

Abstract: We studied the body size, development, longevity, fecundity and survivorship of Bemisia tabaci biotype B on cotton (Gossypium hirsutum), poinsettia (Euphorbia pulcherrima), collard (Brassica oleracea var. capitata), cucumber (Cucumis sativus), squash (Cucurbita pepo), eggplant (Solanum melongena), and tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum) at 27 ± 1℃, 75% RH and a photoperiod of 14:10 (L:D) h in the laboratory. We found that the pupae size on cucumber and cotton was the largest whereas that on poinsettia was the smallest. The developmental periods from egg to adult varied from 17.3 days on cucumber to 22.0 days on poinsettia. Fecundity varied from 266.5 eggs on tomato to 112.9 eggs on poinsettia, while the average longevity of adult females on tomato, cucumber and eggplant was longer than that on the other plants. The total survivorship from egg to adult on cucumber, poinsettia, cotton, eggplant, collard, tomato and squash was 77.8%, 70.6%, 67.9%, 67.8%, 65.0%, 59.0%, and 55.6%, respectively. An overall comparison of performance on the seven plant species indicates that cucumber is the most suitable host plant for B. tabaci biotype B.