On the 9th of July, VIRTIGATION partner LIST organised our 6th webinar on the impact of climate change on the transmission of viruses by whiteflies.
Latest results from VIRTIGATION project
The sixth VIRTIGATION lunchtime webinar brought together 15 out of 30 registered stakeholders. The audience included mainly German-speaking Luxembourgish stakeholders of the VIRTIGATION network. It included seed companies, crop protection actors, growers, technical advisors, journalists, laboratories, plant scientists, as well as official plant protection services.
The aim of this online event was to inform Luxembourgish plant health stakeholders about the future capacity of the Bemisia tabaci whitefly to transmit plant viruses like ToLCNDV in a changing climate. Michael Eickermann, leading VIRTIGATION researcher at LIST, outlined the latest VIRTIGATION results in this regard, triggering lots of questions from the audience in a lively Q&A session.
Whiteflies could transmit viruses longer and more efficiently under climate change
VIRTIGATION scientist Eickermann focused on three key issues in the webinar. Firstly, how the LIST team, which also includes his colleagues Matteo Ripamonti and Jürgen Junk, can accurately model future climate conditions, especially for a Central European climate. Secondly, Eickermann discussed how climate change will impact the transmission capacity of the Bemisia tabaci whitefly to transmit plant viruses like ToLCNDV. And thirdly, he also outlined how climate change will affect Bemisia tabaci biocontrol agents like e.g. Encarsia formosa or Eretmocerus eremicus.
Michael Eickermann concluded his presentation by stating that according to LIST findings, the Bemisia tabaci whitefly stands to benefit from future climate change conditions. This devastating plant pest for tomato and cucurbit crops will not only be able to transmit viruses for a longer duration, but also more efficiently than it is currently the case. According to Eickermann, it will therefore be crucial for growers and other plant health stakeholders to adapt IPM strategies to better fight the Bemisia tabaci whitefly, especially when it comes to introducing biocontrol agents in a more effective manner.
More on the topic of whiteflies and viruses in a changing climate:
- Recording of the VIRTIGATION lunchtime webinar (in German) on YouTube
- Presentation by Michael Eickermann from VIRTIGATION partner LIST
