Projects

Tomato Crop Protection (Alexandria Desert Road)

Continued development of insecticidal compounds to combat whitefly pest on tomato crop along the Alexandria Desert Road, specifically at the Sphinx and Wadi El Natrun locations.

Despite the great importance of the tomato crop, it faces a serious threat from the whitefly (Bemisia tabaci), considered one of the most dangerous insect pests. What is a whitefly? It is a small insect (no more than 1-2 mm), yellowish-white in color, with its wings covered in a waxy powder. Large numbers of these insects congregate on the underside of plant leaves and suck their sap. Their damage to tomato crops is divided into two types: Direct damage: such as sap sucking, which leads to plant weakness, wilting and yellowing of leaves, stunting, and reduced yield. Indirect damage: Transmission of viral diseases. The whitefly is the primary vector for the most serious viral diseases affecting tomatoes, the most prominent of which is Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV). This virus is highly destructive and can cause crop losses of up to 100% in cases of severe and early infection. Its symptoms include wrinkling, small-scaled, and yellowing leaves, and the plant completely stops growing and fruiting.