New Focus on Cotton Webcast Focuses on Silverleaf Whitefly Management

By Cotton Grower Staff|October 16, 2018

A new webcast – titled “Cross-Commodity Management of Silverleaf Whitefly in Georgia” – has been added to the Focus on Cotton online series from the Plant Management Network and Cotton Incorporated.

Silverleaf whitefly (SLWF) is known to reproduce on more than 500 host plants and is active year-round, making it a serious economic pest. Cotton is the preferred summer host of SLWF, and SLWF damage affects both yield and quality. The best opportunity for managing the severity of SLWF infestations is to minimize populations moving from one cropping system to another.

This 11-minute presentation by Phillip Roberts, professor in the Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Tifton, discusses how SLWF populations can be minimized with effective in-season and post-harvest management:

In-season management involves the use of integrated pest management (IPM) principles and programs, frequent scouting, and timely applications of insecticides when thresholds are exceeded.
Post-harvest management involves thorough and timely destruction of host crops after harvest to prevent SLWF population increases and movement to subsequent cropping systems.

Roberts stresses that management of SLWF should be a priority in all agronomic and horticultural crops, and that cross-commodity cooperation and management will benefit all growers.

The Focus on Cotton series contains more than 75 webcasts, plus presentations from five conferences, on various aspects of cotton crop management, including agronomic practices, crop protection, harvest and ginning, soil health and fertility and precision agriculture. These presentations are accessible online at any time without a subscription.