Silverleaf whitefly
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| iSilverleaf whitefly | ||||||||||||||
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| Bemisia argentifolii Bellows and Perring |
The silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia argentifolii, formerly referred to as sweetpotato whitefly-strain B Bemisia tabaci) is one of several whiteflies that are currently important agricultural pests. The silverleaf whitefly was first found in poinsettia crops in Florida in the mid-1980's. It was found to have moved on to tomatoes and other fruit and vegetable crops less than a year later. Within five years, the silverleaf whitefly had caused over $100 million in damage to the Texas and California agriculture industries.
The silverleaf whitefly attacks a multitude of agricultural plants, including squash, melons, cole crops, cucumber, eggplant, peanut, soybeans, cotton, and many ornamentals. In addition to inflicting typical whitefly-type damage on plants, this species can transmit plant viruses such as geminiviruses.
The adult silverleaf whitefly is about 1 mm in length and pale yellow in color.
This particular pest has been shown to be a good candidate for biological control, as it has several natural enemies, including parasitic wasps such as Encarsia and Eretmocerus spp.
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