Seasonal Cropping Pattern Effects on Abundance of Bemisia tabaci (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) and Incidence of Lettuce Infectious Yellows Virus

The sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), was trapped throughout the southern desert agricultural region of California during two consecutive growing seasons. Trap data revealed changes in whitefly population densities that provide insight into the epidemiology of lettuce infectious yellows virus (LIYV) in fall melon and lettuce. Whitefly abundance increased rapidly from July to September in cotton. During that period, there were significant correlations between number of cotton fields in a region and number of whiteflies trapped in that region. Beginning in August and September, whitefly densities increased in melon, and the proportion of viruliferous whiteflies increased in cotton and melon. After the defoliation of cotton was initiated in September, whiteflies migrated to melons, which not only served as their host but also as a reservoir for LIYV. In October and November high numbers of viruliferous whiteflies were found in melon and lettuce. As melons were harvested and the fields dried, viruliferous whiteflies migrated to newly emerged lettuce.