Abstract
The spiraling whitefly, Aleurodicus dispersus Russell (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae), is a highly polyphagous pest that poses a major threat to tropical and subtropical agriculture. Its rapid proliferation across multiple crop species is influenced by host plant quality, which significantly affects its development, reproduction, and survival. This study evaluated the influence of ten different host plants (cassava, cotton, guava, papaya, banana, mulberry, chilli (Capsicum annuum), Acalypha indica, eggplant, and Indian beech) on the developmental and reproductive parameters of A. dispersus under insect-proof screen house conditions. Developmental and reproductive traits varied significantly among host plants. The total developmental period (TDP) ranged from 24.2 ± 2.39 days on mulberry to 31.9 ± 3.35 days on banana (F = 6.06; df = 9, 90; P < 0.001). Egg hatchability and adult emergence were highest on cotton (98.7% and 98.2%, respectively) and lowest on Indian beech and eggplant. Fecundity was highest on cassava (28.5 ± 3.72 eggs per female) and lowest on eggplant (13.1 ± 1.79 eggs per female) (F = 27.20; df = 9, 90; P < 0.001). Female longevity was longest on cotton and cassava. A strong positive correlation was observed between egg hatchability and adult emergence (r = 0.85; P < 0.001), whereas a significant negative correlation was found between TDP and fecundity (r = − 0.78; P < 0.001). These results demonstrates host plant species significantly influence the biological performance of A. dispersus. Cassava, cotton, and guava supported comparatively faster development and higher reproductive output, indicating their suitability for population buildup. The findings provide useful insights for host-based pest management and highlight the potential role of less suitable host plants in reducing whitefly population growth within integrated pest management (IPM) programs.
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Data is provided within the manuscript file.
Abbreviations
- A. dispersus :
-
Aleurodicus dispersus
- B. tabaci :
-
Bemisia tabaci
- CRD:
-
Completely randomized design
- IQR:
-
Interquartile range
- SD:
-
Standard deviation
- IBM:
-
International business machines
- NY:
-
New York
- USA:
-
United States of America
- F:
-
F value
- df:
-
Degrees of freedom
- P:
-
P value
- IPM:
-
Integrated pest management
- Ns:
-
Non-significant
- r:
-
Correlation coefficient
- Y:
-
Dependent variable
- X:
-
Independent variable
- TDP:
-
Total developmental period
- ANOVA:
-
Analysis of variance
- HSD:
-
Honest significant difference
- R2 :
-
Coefficient of determination
- η2 :
-
Eta-squared
- n:
-
Number
- TNAU:
-
Tamil Nadu Agricultural University
- PKM:
-
Periyakulam
- MR:
-
Mildew Resistant
- Co:
-
Coimbatore
- TRY:
-
Trichy
- ICAR-IARI:
-
Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Indian Agricultural Research Institute
- cm:
-
Centimeter
- h:
-
Hour
- χ2 :
-
Chi-squared
- R0 :
-
Net reproductive rate (offspring/individual)
- r :
-
Intrinsic rate of increase (day–1)
- λ :
-
Finite rate of increase (day–1)
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Acknowledgements
The authors are extremely thankful for providing facilities and support to the Head of the Department of Agricultural Entomology and the Director of the Centre for Plant Protection Studies, Tamil Nadu Agricultural University, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, India. The authors gratefully acknowledge the Director, ICAR–Indian Institute of Oilseeds Research, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad-500030, Telangana, India, for providing institutional support. Research was supported by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research, Department of Agricultural Research and Education, Government of India. During the preparation of this manuscript, the authors used ChatGPT (OpenAI) solely for language editing and improvement of clarity and readability. All scientific content, data interpretation and conclusions were generated and verified by the authors. The authors reviewed and edited all AI-assisted text and take full responsibility for the accuracy, originality and integrity of the manuscript.
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T.B. conceived, and designed research. T.B. performed all experiments. N.A., J.G.P. and T.B. analyzed data and wrote the manuscript. All authors read and approved the manuscript.
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Boopathi, T., Anusha, N. & Prasuna, J.G. Host plant influences on the developmental and reproductive biology of Aleurodicus dispersus and its implications for ecological pest management. Sci Rep (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-47835-6
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-47835-6
