An EPG study of the probing behavior of adult Bemisia tabaci biotype Q (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) following exposure to cyantraniliprole.

Cyantraniliprole is a novel insecticide for control of multiple chewing and sucking insect pest species including the sweetpotato whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), which is one of the most important polyphagous pests in tropical, subtropical, and Mediterranean regions. This study aims to evaluate the effects of cyantraniliprole on the probing behavior of B. tabaci on tomato. Electrical penetration graph data indicated that on plants treated with cyantraniliprole (foliar application), adult whiteflies of the genetic variant Q2 were not able to reach the phloem and consequently did not perform the activities represented by E1 and E2 waveforms, i.e., phloem salivation (during which inoculation of geminiviruses occurs) and phloem sap ingestion (during which geminiviruses are acquired by the whiteflies), respectively. The complete failure of B. tabaci biotype Q adults to feed from the phloem of tomato plants treated with cyantraniliprole could be explained by rapid cessation of ingestion because of the mode of action of this insecticide. Overall, these findings indicated that cyantraniliprole might represent a useful new tool for producers to protect tomato plants from damage by B. tabaci.