Whitefly infestations continue to increase in vegetable fields in Southwest Florida. According to the South Florida Pest and Disease Hotline, tomato fields have been greatly impacted.
Adult whiteflies are swarming young cucurbit plants, especially those transplants that have just been planted in the ground and those direct seeded crops.
Growers and scouts report that whitefly pressure is increasing in some older eggplant and tomatoes along the east coast. They are moving out of these crops and applying pressure in nearby fields.
Reports from farmers in Homestead, Florida, indicate that whiteflies are high in tomatoes and other crops. Maybe just as significant is that Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus incidence is moderate to high in the majority of tomato fields.
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