The effect of insecticides on Bemisia tabaci, tomato leaf curl virus disease incidence and yield of tomatoes in the Sudan

The whitefly Bemisia tabaci infested winter-sown tomatoes immediately after germination. Soil-applied granular insecticides and foliar sprays of a synthetic pyrethroid reduced the number of nymphs and adults, but insecticides failed to reduce the incidence of tomato leaf curl virus disease which is transmitted by this insect. Results from pot experiments using aldicarb granules to tomato and to cotton plants indicated that the time and rate of application influence whitefly mortality and reproduction.