Facultative Bacterial Diversity Associated with Silverleaf Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) on Tomato Crop

Abstract

The adults and nymphs of Bemisia tabaci were collected on tomato crop from different locations of Karnataka during 2021-2023. Bacterial colonies were isolated from adults and nymphs of B. tabaci using spread-plate technique and identified through 16srRNA sequencing. Nymphs showed high (55%) abundance of bacteria than adults (45%). 63.64% of the bacterial population in the nymphs belong to the phylum Bacillota followed by pseudomonadota (36.36%). In adults, Bacillota found dominant (100%). The class Bacilli was dominant in both nymphs and adults (63.64 and 100% respectively). In the nymphal stage, Bacillales was dominant order (54.55%). Similarly, in adults also Bacillales was found dominant (77.79%). Bacillaceae was abundant in nymphs (45.45%)and in adults same family accounted for 66.67%. The genus Bacillus was dominant in both nymphs (45.45%) and adults (55.55%). The species, B. licheniformis, B. pumilus, B. safensis and Staphylococcus saprophyticus were found common between adults and nymphs. The bacterial diversity varies with the different stages of the B. tabaci on same host.