Spanish

Abstract

The whitefly, Bemisia tabaci Genn. (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), is a plague of critical importance in zucchini squash, as it causes direct damage by feeding and indirect damage by virus transmission. The objective of the study was to evaluate the insecticidal effect of biorational and conventional formulations on whiteflies in zucchini. The study was conducted in Morelos, Mexico under open field conditions. A completely randomized experimental design was established with five treatments (T1. Castor and nettle extract, T2. Azadirachtin, T3. Imidacloprid + lambda cyhalothrin, T4. Liquid bifenthrin and T5. Control). Two biological efficacy evaluations were carried out. In the first evaluation, the treatments reduced the infestation from 70 to 85%. In the second evaluation, azadirachtin and bifenthrin were similarly effective with just over 91% efficacy, while castor and nettle extract reached about 85%. The two biorational compounds proved to be a good option to reduce whitefly infestation in crops.