Schematic representation of the whitefly settling assay setup.

<p>The clear plastic (Mylar^®film) cylinder (16 cm diameter and 31 cm tall) was glued to petri dish plates (16 cm diameter) in both ends creating an enclosed structure that was sectioned at a distance 9 cm from the top and surrounded by foam at sectioned ends. Two tomato leaves (infected and non-infected) attached to respective plants were placed across each other. Whiteflies were released in a glass vial placed through an opening at the bottom centre of the structure.