Effect of tomato yellow leaf curl disease on reproduction of Bemisia tabaci Q biotype (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) on tomato plants

Nonviruliferous adults of Bemisia tabaci Q biotype were released at different densities onto Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV)-infected and healthy tomato plants (Lycopersicon esculentum 'House Momotaro') in the laboratory. The number of progeny was related to the release density of whiteflies but not to the presence of TYLCV infection on tomato plants. Q biotype adults reared on tomato plants that were either healthy or infected with TYLCV were allowed to oviposit on healthy tomato plants in the laboratory. There were no significant differences in survival rate and fecundity between viruliferous and nonviruliferous whiteflies. Q biotype adults were also released on TYLCV-infected and healthy tomato plants grown in glasshouses, and then the number of adults was investigated for two consecutive generations. In both generations there was no significant difference in the whitefly reproductive rate per generation between those released on infected and healthy tomato plants. These results suggest that symptomatic TYLCV infection of susceptible tomato plants has little effect on the reproduction of the virus's vector, the Q biotype of B. tabaci.