Survey on species distribution of whiteflies in vegetables and fruits and detection of Tomato yellow leaf curl virus carriage in Hebei

This study aimed to identity the species, distribution and Tomato yellow leaf curl virus (TYLCV) carriage status of whiteflies in Hebei Province. A total of 91 whitefly samples were collected from various vegetable and fruit crops across 33 counties in 11 cities in Hebei Province. The mtDNA COⅠ gene and TYLCV AC3 gene were utilized to identify whitefly species and whether they carried TYLCV, and the distribution patterns of whiteflies across different host crops and geographical regions were analyzed. Among the 91 whitefly samples collected, 4 were identified as Trialeurodes vaporariorum, all found in Zhangjiakou, and among them, the T. vaporariorum on eggplants in Yu County (Zhangjiakou) carried TYLCV. The remaining 87 whitefly samples were identified as Bemisia tabaci, all belonging to the MED cryptic species, distributed across 29 collection sites in 11 regions (Handan, Xingtai, Shijiazhuang, Hengshui, Cangzhou, Baoding, Langfang, Tangshan, Qinhuangdao, Chengde, and Zhangjiakou). Among these, 39 samples were detected with TYLCV. B. tabaci MED cryptic species from Cangzhou exhibited the highest TYLCV carrying proportion (87.5%), followed by the samples from Tangshan, Shijiazhuang and Hengshui (all 55.5%), while Qinghuangdao showed the lowest infection rate (11.1%). This study can provide a theoretical basis for forecasting, prediction and scientific control of whitefly and TYLCV diseases in Hebei Province.