The effects of substrate-borne vibration with frequencies of 30 and 300 Hz on the number of the greenhouse whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum and the number of fruit sets in greenhouse tomatoes were investigated. When tomatoes were intermittently subjected to 300-Hz vibration generated from vibrational exciters installed in a greenhouse, the number of adult and larval T. vaporariorum was significantly reduced compared with non-vibration plots.
The substrate-borne 30-Hz vibration generated from different vibrational exciters did not affect the number of T. vaporariorum when smaller acceleration was applied to tomato plants; however, it showed a suppressive effect when greater acceleration was applied. Regarding pollination, the number of fruit sets in tomatoes subjected to 300-Hz vibration was the same as that in non-vibration plots, which was lower than that in plant growth regulation treatment plots. The number of fruit sets in tomatoes subjected to 30-Hz vibration significantly increased compared with that in non-vibration plots, which was comparable to that in plant growth regulation treatment plots.
The findings suggest that applying substrate vibration to tomatoes is effective in suppressing the plant infestation by T. vaporariorum and promoting tomato pollination. Vibrations could disrupt various behaviors associated with infestation and cause repellency in T. vaporariorum. This study focused on the effectiveness of vibrational conditions, including frequency, acceleration, and temporal characteristics, in detail, aiming to incorporate them into integrated pest management programs in greenhouse tomato cultivation.
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Sekine, Takayuki & Takanashi, Takuma & Onodera, Ryuichi & Oe, Takaho & Komagata, Yasuyuki & Abe, Shota & Koike, Takuji. (2022). Potential of substrate-borne vibration to control greenhouse whitefly Trialeurodes vaporariorum and increase pollination efficiencies in tomato Solanum lycopersicum. Journal of Pest Science. 1-12. 10.1007/s10340-022-01564-7.