MANAGEMENT OF WHITEFLIES (Bemisia tabaci . GENNADIUS) USING Amblyseius swirskii ATHIAS-HENRIOT (SWIRSKI-MITE) IN CHILLI CROP

Abstract

Whitefly (Bemisia tabaci ) is an important pest of chilli in Sri Lanka. Whiteflies are also vectors of viral diseases in many crops. Indiscriminate use of insecticides leads to resistant development, high residue levels, health hazards and environmental pollution. The laboratory experiment was conducted using the biological agent, Amblyseius swirskii Athias- Henriot, imported from Koppert Biological Systems, Netherlands, for the control of chilli whiteflies. Results indicated A.swirskii reduced the white fly population significantly after two weeks of introduction. The reduction of the population of A.swirskii was statistically significant after the 04th week. The survival of Swirskii mites and whiteflies at the end of the 6th week in the experiment was 25 % and 26.6 % respectively. A.swirskii effectively controlled whiteflies in chilli, though the biological agents did not multiply in the experiment even with the provision of bee's honey as an alternate food source, hence seasonal augmentation releases are necessary.