Resistance inducers to the whitefly Bemisia tabaci Biotype B (GENN., 1889) (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in soybeans

The objective of this paper was to evaluate the effect of the application of inducers on the resistance of two soybean cultivars to the whitefly B. tabaci Biotype B. The experiment was carried out at the Entomology Department - UFLA. The soybean seeds of cultivars IAC-19 and MONSOY-8001 were previously treated with Captan fungicide. The following treatments were tested: T1-irrigating the soil around the plants of each pot with 250 mL of solution of 1% silicic acid; T2- spraying of the plants, to the 'point of dripping', with a solution of 0.3% acibenzolar-s-methyl; T3- spraying of the plants, to the 'point of dripping', with a solution of 0.24% pyraclostrobin+epoxiconazole, and T4- control. The plants were infested with 100 adult whiteflies that were released eight days after applying the treatments. The number of eggs on the abaxial face of each leaf, which was marked for further evaluation of nymphs, tannin and lignin contents, dry weight of the aerial parts and roots, was evaluated. There was no difference for the number of eggs and nymphs among the soybean cultivars. Nevertheless, the average survival rate of B. tabaci was lower on cultivar IAC-19. The application of silicon or acibenzolar-s-methyl induces an increase in lignin content in the soybean cultivar IAC-19.