Flupyradifurone application: A promising approach to curtail tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV) transmission vectored by Bemisia tabaci in potato farming

Abstract

The whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, serves as a carrier and transmitter of the tomato leaf curl New Delhi virus (ToLCNDV) in potatoes, leading to the emergence of potato apical leaf curl disease. Among the six insecticides tested against B. tabaci, flupyradifurone resulted in the highest mortality of nymphs and adults. Three effective insecticides were then further evaluated for their ability to prevent the acquisition and transmission of ToLCNDV by B. tabaci. Utilizing qPCR techniques, we determined the amount of virus acquired by B. tabaci from virus-positive plants that had undergone prior insecticide treatment. The results revealed a significant reduction in virus levels in the whitefly's body, flupyradifurone was found to be most effective among the tested insecticides in reducing ToLCNDV acquisition. Flupyradifurone also exhibited the highest efficacy in reducing ToLCNDV transmission by B. tabaci. Experiments conducted in the glasshouse 24 h post insecticide application demonstrated the complete prevention of ToLCNDV transmission in all plants treated with flupyradifurone. In the field experiment also, flupyradifurone effectively suppressed whitefly-mediated ToLCNDV transmission for up to 14 days following insecticide application. The findings indicate that the use of flupyradifurone has the potential to manage the vector population and control associated viral disease, which is known to cause significant losses in potato crops.