Control effects of whitefly by intercropping celery in greenhouse

Whitefly(Trialeurodes vaporariorum(Westood)) and tobacco whitefly(Bemisia tabaci(Gennadius)) are major pests of many kinds of vegetables,including the Curcurbitaceae,Solanaceae and Leguminosae.These pests are difficult to control because of their wide host range,large populations and strong reproductive ability.The effect of intercropping host plants of these two whiteflies with celery(Apium graveliens L.) was studied in a greenhouse.Intercropping with celery effectively controlled whitefly damage to tomatoes and cucumbers;the beneficial effect of celery for these crops reaching about 98.0% and 84.5% respectively.Although preliminary,these results are important to research on host selection in white-flies,and non-chemical control of the whitefly and tobacco whitefly.