Progress 09/01/23 to 08/31/24
Outputs
Target Audience:Dr. Martini (UF) audience are graduate students, tomato growers and horticulture Extension agents. Specifically, we organized the last Gadsden Tomato grower annual meeting at the North Florida research and Education Center in Quincy, FL. The target audience for PI Liburd's extension efforts includes vegetable growers, extension personnel, industry representatives, and other academic researchers. Dr. Liburd regularly consults with these parties to provide and discuss the latest information on whitefly management. The graduate student also extended information related to the project and whitefly pest management to the general public through outreach events, including school tours, community events, and at the Florida Museum of Natural History's Incredible Insects exhibit. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Opportunity for training: Hiring and mentoring of three graduate students: Hellenah Khunga (UF), Uday Suresh (UGA), and Joey Gonsiorek (UF). Field Day: Annual meeting of the Gadsden county tomato producers. December 9, 2023, Quincy, FL. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?
Nothing Reported
What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?We will collect plant volatiles, analyzes them through GC-MS and correlate the volatile emission to the response of whiteflies to the different eggplant variety. In addition spectrophotmeter will be used to collect eggplant reflectance Mr. Uday Suresh at UGA will begin working on evaluating eggplant cultivars and their responses to viruliferous and non-viruliferous whiteflies and virus transmission this fall. Preparations have begun in terms of the upcoming Fall 2024 field studies in Quincy and in Citra (Objective 3), including the establishment of trap crops in the field. No data has currently been collected or analyzed in relation to this objective
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
A greenhouse study was conducted at the University of Florida, North Florida Research and Education Center in Quincy. Eight hybrid eggplants (Solanum melongena L.) cultivars including Night shadow, Nadia, Santana, Barbarella, Ghost story, Lucilla, A104 Estelal, and little prince (Seedway, Hall, NY) were directly planted in 15cm diameter plastic pots using a soil substrate (Promix HP Mycorrizae, Quakertown, PA). Eggplants were left to grow for a period of six weeks until they had developed two to three true leaves before infesting them with whiteflies. The plants were watered daily and fertilized (Miracle Grow, Maryville, OH) every two weeks. The experimental set up consisted of eight treatments with eight replicates that were completely randomized. Eggplants were placed around a potted collard green highly infested with whiteflies for infestation. Following whitefly infestation, eggplants were left undisturbed for one week to allow for the successful migration of whiteflies from collards onto eggplants. The experiment was replicated in two trials to validate the results obtained. In situ adult whitefly populations were conducted in two days every week for a period of three weeks. Three leaves were randomly selected on each eggplant with a total of 24 leaves per variety. The number of whiteflies present on both the adaxial (upper) and abaxial (lower) leaf surfaces were counted. Leaf samples were collected once. Three leaves were randomly selected from each eggplant, one at the bottom, the middle, and top. Leaves were collected, stored in Ziplock bags, and taken to the laboratory for analysis under a microscope. To prepare the samples, each leaf was cut with a 5 cm diameter using a hole puncher prior to nymph counts. Leaf samples were processed within one week after collection to reduce the effects of leaf deterioration on sample quality. The number of whitefly nymphs was counted and recorded. To determine trichome density and length three leaf samples, one at the upper, middle and bottom canopy were collected in Ziplock bags accounting for twenty-four leaves per eggplant variety. To prepare the leaf samples, three leaf squares measuring 1cm2 each were cut from each leaf and submerged in 10 ml of Dimethyl Sulfoxide (DMSO) overnight. This was done to eliminate the chlorophyll in the leaf epidermis. On the following day, leaf samples were extracted from DMSO and treated with Safranine, a dye that exhibits a red to pink coloration. The dye was prepared by diluting a 0.01% solution of Safranine in 100 mL of distilled water. Each replicate included adding 10 ml of the dilution to petri dishes containing leaf samples. The samples were left to stand overnight to allow the trichomes to be fully pigmented to facilitate the observation process on the microscope. The following day, leaf samples were then immersed in glycerol to eliminate the surplus dye and examined the trichomes using a stereo microscope. To determine the trichomes density, an area was randomly selected from the 1 cm2 leaf sample at 3X magnification and the number of non-glandular stellate shaped trichomes were observed. For each replicate, nine trichome counts were done giving a total of 72 counts per eggplant variety. To measure the length, three trichomes were randomly selected from the same leaf samples and measured using stereo zoom microscope with an internal micrometer (μm). Results of B. tabaci choice test showed that the density of whiteflies varied significantly between varieties (GLMM nbinomial, X2= 43.962, df=7, p< 0.001). The eggplant variety Night shadow was the most attractive variety evidenced by the highest infestation of whiteflies. On the other hand, Barbarella showed to be the least attractive variety. The number of whitefly nymphs varied significantly between the varieties (GLMM nbinomial X2= 15.443, df=7, p=0.030). The variety A1014 Esteral had the highest number of nymphs compared to Barbarella but had no significant differences between variety A1014 Estrela, Ghost story, Nadia, Night shadow, Santana, Little prince and Lucilla.?
Publications
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Paris T, Exilien R, Martini X. Symposium. Strategies in Asian Psyllid and Whitefly Pest Management: Exploring the Synergistic Effects of Nanoclay and Essential Oils. Materials Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture 2023. Orlando, FL. November 30, 2023.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Martini X. Keynote address. Use of nanoclay and essential oil for whitefly and Asian citrus psyllid control. 12th Sustainable Nanotechnology Organization Meeting. Marina Del Rey CA. November 10 November 12, 2023
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Using semiochemicals, trap crop and visual cues in a push-pull strategy to control whiteflies in tomatoes. Hellenah Khunga and Xavier Martini. Florida Entomological Society Meeting. Quincy, FL July 1-3, 2024
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2024
Citation:
Paris T, Martini X. Investigating the combined impact of Nanoclay and essential oils on whitefly pest control. Florida Entomological Society Meeting. Quincy, FL July 1-3, 2024.
- Type:
Conference Papers and Presentations
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Paris T, Martini X. Symposium. Using kaolin to manage whiteflies Entomological Society of America Annual Meeting. National Harbor MD. November 5-8, 2023.
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