Project
Use of Plastic Mesh (antivirus clothing) for the Integrated Management of Whiteflies (Bemisia tabaci) in Tomato at El Progreso, Guatemala
Details
Project Code:
Not Available
Start Date:
1993
End Date:
1998
CRSP Phase:
Phase 1
Budget:
Not Available
Countries:
Guatemala
Participants
Lead University:
Purdue University
Other Partners:
ICTA (Guatemala)
Principal Investigator(s):
None
Co-Principal Investigator(s):
Mario Morales (Guatemala); Richard Edwards (US)
Overview
Planting of tomatoes in many areas of Guatemala was abandoned because of crop loss due to the whitefly
Objectives
The objectives of this research were to: (1) validate under farmer's conditions whether surrounding IPM managed tomato plots with a 2-meter tall plastic screen had a significant impact on the management of the whitefly –virus complex; and (2) determine crop profitability using this new technology.
Outcomes
Results show the use of a 2 meter height plastic mesh (50 mesh pore) coupled with use of insecticides based on population sampling, had the following effects compared to the conventional system: (1) reduction of whitefly population by 50% and virus incidence by 30%; (2) yield that surpassed the farmer control by 5,500 kg/ha; (3) a reduction in the number of insecticide applications from 30 to 12; and (4) a benefit/cost relation of 2.58 for IPM plot in contrast to 1.40 for the farmer control.The use of plastic mesh incorporated into an integrated management program can significantly reduce adult whitefly populations and virus incidence, and reduce variable production costs and increase yield and profitability.
