Determination of Silicon Accumulation in Non-Bt Cotton ( Gossypium hirsutum ) Plants and Its Impact on Fecundity and Biology of Whitefly ( Bemisia tabaci ) under Controlled Conditions

Asim Abbasi (), Muhammad Sufyan, Hafiza Javaria Ashraf, Qamar uz Zaman, Inzamam Ul Haq, Zahoor Ahmad, Ramish Saleem, Mohammad Rameez Hashmi, Mariusz Jaremko, Nader R. Abdelsalam and Rehab Y. Ghareeb
Additional contact information
Asim Abbasi: Department of Environmental Sciences, Kohsar University, Murree 47150, Pakistan
Muhammad Sufyan: Department of Entomology, University of Agriculture Faisalabad, Faisalabad 38000, Pakistan
Hafiza Javaria Ashraf: State Key Laboratory of Ecological Pest Control for Fujian and Taiwan Crops, College of Plant Protection, Fujian Agriculture and Forestry University, Fuzhou 350002, China
Qamar uz Zaman: Department of Environmental Sciences, The University of Lahore, Lahore 54590, Pakistan
Inzamam Ul Haq: College of Plant Protection, Gansu Agricultural University, No. 1 Yingmen Village, Anning District, Lanzhou 730070, China
Zahoor Ahmad: Department of Botany, Punjab Group of Colleges, University Campus, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan
Ramish Saleem: Department of Zoology, University of Central Punjab, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan
Mohammad Rameez Hashmi: Department of Zoology, University of Central Punjab, Bahawalpur 63100, Pakistan
Mariusz Jaremko: Smart-Health Initiative and Red Sea Research Center, Division of Biological and Environmental Sciences and Engineering, King Abdullah University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box 4700, Thuwal 23955-6900, Saudi Arabia
Nader R. Abdelsalam: Agricultural Botany Department, Faculty of Agriculture (Saba Basha), Alexandria University, Alexandria 21531, Egypt
Rehab Y. Ghareeb: Plant Protection and Biomolecular Diagnosis Department, Arid Lands Cultivation Research Institute, City of Scientific Research and Technological Applications, Borg El-Arab 21934, Egypt

Sustainability, 2022, vol. 14, issue 17, 1-19

Abstract: Considering the resistance development-potential of whitefly ( Bemisia tabaci ) against control tactics with limited action mechanisms, the present study investigated the accumulation of two different silicon (Si) sources (SiO 2 and K 2 SiO 3 ) in cotton plants. The tested dose rates (0, 200, and 400 mg/L) of both Si sources were applied directly to the soil or through foliar application on cotton leaves. Moreover, a laboratory bioassay was also conducted to evaluate the performance of applied Si sources against the oviposition preference and biology of B. tabaci . A significantly higher Si accumulation, reduction in oviposition preference, and prolonged developmental period of all nymphs and total life cycle of B. tabaci was observed in the case of foliar-applied silicon. Similarly, among Si sources, a significant decline in the number of oviposited eggs and delay in the developmental period of B. tabaci was observed in the case of SiO 2, followed by K 2 SiO 3 . Moreover, cotton plants subjected to SiO 2 treatments possessed higher Si contents in their leaves than K 2 SiO 3 treated plants. The results further revealed that both Si sources showed promising results at their higher concentrations regarding the tested parameters of Si accumulation, fecundity, and developmental period of B. tabaci. Our results strongly suggest that among emerging pest control strategies in cotton plants lies the use of foliar application of Si, which can also be incorporated in different integrated pest management programs due to its safety for humans and beneficial insect fauna.

Keywords: Bemisia tabaci; developmental duration; silicon accumulation; oviposition preference (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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