Recently, I hopped in a vehicle with two student workers of Dr. Bhabesh Dutta, UGA vegetable plant pathologist. We went to multiple fields across the county to sample weeds on field edges for screening of the whitefly transmitted cucurbit leaf crumple virus. This virus affected fall vegetable production across the southern region of the state.
Here are 5 thoughts for whiteflies this year:
- Due to the hurricane, the adult population in the fall was drastically reduced. In result, we entered the winter with a much lower population than we did in fall 2016.
- Our winter was much colder than the previous winter. Multiple periods of low 20s was very beneficial for suppressing any adults that were present. The staggered cold snaps mean that if adults emerged after one cold snap, the second one would suppress them.
- The cold winter also suppressed volunteer crops that could potentially overwinter whiteflies.
- According to my contacts that scout cabbage just south of here, populations are much lower than the previous year. We will also keep an eye out on the watermelon crop to know if there will be a situation this year.
- there is a possibility that in the future when whiteflies flair, we may see increased virus with fewer whiteflies
