Silverleaf whitefly alert for soybean growers

Silverleaf whitefly (SLW) is the B-biotype of the whitefly Bemisia tabaci. The B-biotype is a pesticide-resistant strain of B. tabaci that has gained entry into Australia. SLW is a major global pest of horticultural and agricultural crops and is highly resistant to most current pesticides. SLW can occur in uncontrollable plagues with billions of individuals per hectare of crop.

The first line of action for a SLW outbreak should be identification to confirm the B-biotype. This will determine available control options. If it is the B-biotype, don’t be tempted to spray with pesticides. SLW is known to be moderately to highly resistant to all commonly used broadacre crop pesticides currently used in Australia. Spraying with pesticides will likely promote the development of further pesticide resistance in SLW, kill beneficial insects and probably cause the SLW population to flare, along with other pests such as mites.