STRATEGIES FOR WHITEFLY MANAGEMENT ON COMMON BEANS USING NEEM OIL AND INSETICIDE, UNDER GREENHOUSE CONDITIONS

INTRODUCTION: Infestations of whitefly Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) biotype B on common beans are managed mainly by the use of insecticides. This is owing to the fact that insecticides are highly available on the market, are easy to be applied, and cause rapid insecticidal effect (Boiça Júnior et al., 2006). However, conventional management practices relying on insecticides are sometimes not effective for this pests usually prefer the abaxial leaf surface of plants, in addition to rapid insect resistance development to the active ingredients (Horowitz and Ishaaya, 1995). The use of natural products alone or integrated with insecticides can be an alternative to reduce the negative effects of chemical control, without losing efficiency in managing the pest. Products based on neem, Azadirachta indica A. Juss, are reported to cause repellency, reductions in feeding and oviposition, interruptions of development and ecdysis, lengthening of biological development, reduction in fertility, and other changes in insect behavior (Martinez, 2011). We evaluated strategies based on applications of neem oil, insecticide, and neem oil-insecticide combinations for managing B. tabaci biotype B on common beans, under greenhouse conditions