Behavioural response and chemical interactions between the greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) and companion plants for pest control purposes

The greenhouse whitefly, Trialeurodes vaporariorum is a major tomato pest which causes damage through sucking of phloem sap and transmission of the tomato infectious chlorosis virus leading to yield losses of between 5-30% (Johnson et al., 1992). “Push-pull” strategy is a new crop protection concept using attractant and repellent stimuli simultaneously to manipulate the insect distribution and to reduce insect abundance (Cook et al., 2006). In this concept, companion plants are used to produce attractant or repellent volatiles. The objective of this study was to find attractant companion plants (trap crop) for the greenhouse whitefly management. From personal observations in the field, basil and Mexican Marigold seemed to be promising companion plants