Effectiveness of chemical insecticides and entomopathogenic fungi Lecanicillium muscarium against Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae) infesting geothermal crops in southern Tunisia

The whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Homoptera: Aleyrodidae), is one of the most serious pests of protected and geothermal crops. To improve control of B. tabaci, we studied the efficacy of a group of chemical insecticides and a biological product based on an entomopathogenic fungus, offering a diversity of modes of action and innovative activity pathways. The results showed that these treatments were effective in reducing the development stages of B. tabaci. L. muscarium caused a significant reduction of the different developmental stages of B. tabaci with a percentage varying between 57.87 and 79.69 %. Egg and larvae reduction percentages were above 60% for Imidacloprid, Pyriproxyfen, Pyrethrinoids, Sulfoxaflor, and Imidacloprid + lambda-cyhalothrin. These treatments can be used as part of an integrated control program against whiteflies associated with crops in geothermal greenhouses in southern Tunisia.