Journal of Insect Science (2014) 14 (187), 1-5
Qing-Jun Wu, Wen-Jie Hou, Fei Li, Bao-Yun Xu, Wen Xie, Shao-Li Wang and You-Jun Zhang (2014)
Intra- and interspecific competition between western flower thrips and sweetpotato whitefly
Journal of Insect Science 14 (187), 1-5
Abstract: The western flower thrips, Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), and the sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), are both invasive insect pests and are present in most of the same agricultural crops without a clear dominance of either species. Here, intra- and interspecific competition in B. tabaci and F. occidentalis was determined under controlled experiments. The results showed that intraspecific competition was distinct in F. occidentalis and that the co-occurrence of B. tabaci had a strong effect on F. occidentalis, resulting in a decrease in oviposition. Significant intraspecific competition was found in B. tabaci, and the coexistence of F. occidentalis had limited effect on the oviposition of B. tabaci. In a selective host plant preference experiment, both F. occidentalis and B. tabaci preferred eggplants most, followed by cucumbers and tomatoes. On cucumber plants, B. tabaci was predominant, whereas on eggplant and tomato plants, F. occidentalis and B. tabaci exhibited comparative competitive abilities during the initial stage. However, over time, higher numbers of B. tabaci than that of F. occidentalis were found on the two host plants. Our in vitro and potted plant experiments indicate that B. tabaci is competitively superior to F. occidentalis, which might help to explain their differential distribution patterns in China.
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Database assignments for author(s): Qing Jun Wu, Shaoli Wang
Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
environment - cropping system/rotation
Pest and/or beneficial records:
| Beneficial | Pest/Disease/Weed | Crop/Product | Country | Quarant.
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bemisia tabaci biotype MEAM1 | ||||
| Bemisia tabaci | ||||
| Frankliniella occidentalis |
