Preferential Distribution Of Whitefly, Bemisi Tabaci Genn. On Cucurbit And Non-Cucurbit Crops

Abstract

In present study 14 different crops viz., melon, water melon, bitter gourd, sesame cucumber, ridge gourd, pumpkin, Indian squash, cotton, cluster bean, brinjal, okra chillies and cowpeas were grown on the randomized complete block design with 4 replicates in the last week of February. The cotton was grown in last week of March. The result showed that the population of both stages of whitefly (adult and nymph) was significantly more on cucurbit crops than on the non-cucurbit crops except brinjal. The highest population (10.86 whitefleis per leaf) was recorded on cucumber followed by melon (9.92), brinjal (8.25), cluster bean (5.39), Indian squash (5.33), cotton (4.92), ridge gourd (4.26), sesame (3.14), pumpkin (3.09), water melon (3.03), okra (2.83), bitter gourd (1.98), chilies (1.97) and cowpea (1.96). The increase in the population on cucumber and melon could be due to higher level of pH in their leaves. The analysis of variance on all 14 tested plants showed that the population abundance of B. tabaci was significantly higher on cucumber, melon, brinjal, Indian squash and cluster bean which was confirmed by Duncan’s Multiple Range (DMR) test. Regression analysis showed that the population of B. tabaci positively correlated with the pH level in the leaves of different host plants.