Responses of the sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisia tabaci, to the chinaberry tree (Melia azedarach L.) and its extracts

Host preference bioassays for adults of the sweetpotato whitefly were performed with leaves of the chinaberry tree Melia azedarach L., tomato, cucumber and bean. Fruit and leaf extracts of the chinaberry tree were tested against adults of the sweetpotato whitefly. Fruit extracts were tested against eggs, first and second instar nymphs, and pupae of the insect. Treatments included aqueous, methanol, and acetone fruit extracts of 200 mg ml^-1 and serial dilutions of 20.0 and 2.00 mg ml^-1, ether extract, the botanical insecticides Azatin® and Margosan®-O and the control, water or water with Triton®. Mortality data was collected at 6, 7, and 8 days alter treatment of the eggs, nymphs and pupae, respectively. Results of the host preference bioassays indicated a significantly lower number of live insects on leaves of the chinaberry tree vs leaves of bean, cucumber, and tomato after 24 h. This indicates that M. azedarach is not a good host for the sweetpotato whitefly. Adults of the insect were significantly more repelled from tomato plants treated with the undiluted extracts when compared to the control after 72 h. There were significant differences in percent mortality of nymphal instars when exposed to the undiluted extracts compared to other extracts and the control. However, there was no significant effect of the fruit extracts on the egg and pupa instars. Thus M. azedarach extracts were found to be repellent to the whitefly adults, while the fruit extracts have shown a significant detrimental effect against early nymphal instars. In general, the methanol extracts were more active against B. tabaci than extracts with other solvents.