Performance of Bemisia tabaci MEAM1 on soybean and resistance traits of cultivars

Abstract

Bemisia tabaci MEAM1, known as whitefly, poses a significant threat to soybean crops worldwide. To develop effective pest management strategies, it is crucial to understand how this insect pest performs on different soybean cultivars and identify resistance traits in these cultivars. This study aimed to assess the biological development of B. tabaci MEAM1 and the performance of five consecutive whitefly generations on various soybean cultivars to determine the stability of resistance across multiple insect generations. Additionally, the study aimed to estimate genetic parameters associated with resistance traits. To conduct the experiment, twenty individuals of B. tabaci were released and confined within cages attached to soybean leaf petioles. The experiment followed a completely randomized design with eleven treatments and five replicates. The emerging insects from the bioassay were confined to plants of their respective cultivars. This process was repeated for five consecutive generations of whiteflies to evaluate the cultivars' ability to exhibit resistance across multiple generations of the pest. The results showed that the cultivars M 8808 and AS 3810 had a negative impact on B. tabaci oviposition. Additionally, the cultivar BRS 9280 influenced the development of the insect. Based on the selection index, cultivars BRS 9280, AS 3810, M 8808, and BRS 8383 exhibited resistance traits. Furthermore, cultivars BRS 9280, AS 3810, and M 8808 demonstrated resistance characteristics consistently over five generations when subjected to whitefly pressure. These cultivars can be considered valuable sources of resistance against B. tabaci MEAM1 for breeding programs aimed at developing resistant soybean cultivars.