Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae): What Relationships with and Morpho-Physiological Effects on the Plants It Develops on?

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) has a cosmopolitan distribution, and it is a feared pest of many agricultural crops. It is a complex of numerous genetically differentiated species, most of which may rapidly acquire insecticide resistance, consequently making their control problematic. This study aims to improve knowledge on the direct damage of this pest, as well as its impact on the main traits of vegetable crops. Overall, the results confirm how different host plants display variable susceptibility to B. tabaci infestation and explain trophic links between plant and pest forecasting plant growth and development under B. tabaci presence. ABSTRACT: Although many crops have developed several adaptation mechanisms that allow them to defend against limiting factors, some biotic and abiotic stresses may cause reversible or irreversible changes in plants. Among the biotic stresses, the whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) is probably one of the main important pests that negatively affect several vegetable crops that are grown in greenhouses. The present study evaluated its impact on the morphology and physiology of two solanaceous plants, i.e., tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) and eggplant (S. melongena L.), under laboratory conditions. The results showed that, for tomatoes, plant height, shoot dry weight, leaf area, and indirect chlorophyll content were strongly reduced in infested plants, compared to the uninfested control, by 39.36%, 32.37%, 61.01%, and 37.85%, respectively. The same has been shown for eggplant, although the reduction percentages of plant height, root dry weight, and indirect chlorophyll content were less marked (i.e., 16.15%, 31.65%, and 11.39%, respectively). These results could represent interesting information for a better understanding of the B. tabaci influence on plant growth, as well as for the development of management strategies to successfully control its infestations in a cropping system.