Bulletin of Entomological Research (1998) 88, 601-610

G.J. Devine and I. Denholm (1998)
An unconventional use of piperonyl butoxide for managing the cotton whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera : Aleyrodidae)
Bulletin of Entomological Research 88 (6), 601-610
Abstract: Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) is a pest of global importance which resists many conventional insecticides. Novel strategies for control are required and these may incorporate compounds whose lethal and sublethal effects have gone unremarked. Although most commonly employed as an insecticide synergist, piperonyl butoxide alone was lethal to predominantly second instar nymphs of the cotton whitefly, B. tabaci at LC₅₀s of between 60 and 600 ppm, depending on the strain. Formulated and technical material were similarly toxic and far more so than detergents. Some strains exhibited slight tolerance (c. 3-10 fold) but there was no correlation of this with the presence of known resistance mechanisms or enzyme banding patterns. Residues of piperonyl butoxide alone were toxic to adult B. tabaci at c. 2000 ppm which was similar to the toxicity of paraffin oil. Piperonyl butoxide also increased developmental times among B. tabaci nymphs at doses as low as 10 ppm and exerted a transient effect on oviposition. There was strong evidence that it did not reduce the feeding activity of insects surviving treatment. Such effects offer scope for incorporating this compound into resistance management programmes, especially in conjunction with natural enemies (e.g, parasitoids active specifically against immature hosts).
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Gregor J. Devine, Ian Denholm

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
control - general

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Bemisia tabaci