The Impact of Sweetpotato Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, upon Cotton Quantity and Quality in California

N.C. Toscano, M. Blua, and M. Madore


 
ABSTRACT

Stickiness of cotton lint, a major problem in the textile industry, is largely attributed to honeydew contamination from whiteflies and other homopterous insects, while nectar and residual physiological sugars in lint may also contribute to the problem. Field studies in the Palo Verde Valley of California during 1990 failed to demonstrate a clear correlation between whitefly density and stickiness of harvested cotton. Analyses of the sugar and amino acid composition of cotton nectar, whitefly honeydew, and cotton lint indicate definitive differences which may permit identification of the sources of stickiness in sticky cotton. Nevertheless, rainfall during the study period may have contributed to a low incidence of sticky cotton and consequent failure of this technique to incriminate a definitive source of stickiness in lint samples.



Reprinted from 1992 Proceedings Beltwide Cotton Conferences pp. 684 - 686
©National Cotton Council, Memphis TN

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Document last modified Sunday, Dec 6 1998