Anupma Singh, Preeti Ramteke and Archana Anokhe
Abstract
The Whitefly (Bemisiatabaci gennadius) is a destructive pest and causes a lot of damage to crops due to direct feeding by nymphs and adults, as well as transmission of viruses and diseases. Although, the foliar application of synthetic pesticides is very important for effective control of B. tabaci, but it has adverse effects such as environmental pollution, pest suppression and resurgence, and crop damage. The genetic engineering approaches such as RNAi and transgenics have shown promising results in whiteflies management. The transgenic plants developed through chloroplast or nuclear transformation harboring insecticidal genes and dsRNA application through stably or transiently expressing or microinjection into insect body cavity or artificial diet for oral delivery have shown promising effect in whitefly control. This review highlights merits and demerits of the above mentioned approaches alongwith effective, safe and robust strategies to control whitefly in agriculture.