The silverleaf whitefly is known to reproduce on more than 500 host plants and is active year-round, making it a serious economic pest. The best opportunity for managing the severity of SLWF infestations is to minimize populations moving from one cropping system to another.
Phillip Roberts, professor in the Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Tifton, discusses effective management In “Cross-Commodity Management of Silverleaf Whitefly in Georgia,” a new webcast in the “Focus on Cotton” series. Cotton is the preferred summer host of SLWF, and SLWF damage affects both yield and quality.
SLWF populations can be minimized with effective in-season and post-harvest management:
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In-season management involves the use of integrated pest management principles and programs, frequent scouting, and timely applications of insecticides when thresholds are exceeded.
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Post-harvest management involves thorough and timely destruction of host crops after harvest to prevent SLWF population increases and movement to subsequent cropping systems.
Roberts stresses that management of SLWF should be a priority in all agronomic and horticultural crops. Cross-commodity cooperation and management will benefit all growers. This 11-minute presentation is available through the “Focus on Cotton” resource on the Plant Management Network.
This resource contains more than 75 webcasts, along with presentations from five conferences, on a broad range of aspects of cotton crop management: agronomic practices, diseases, harvest and ginning, insects, irrigation, nematodes, precision agriculture, soil health and crop fertility, and weeds. These webcasts are available to readers open access (without a subscription). These and other resources are freely available courtesy of Cotton Incorporated at www.plantmanagementnetwork.org/foco.
