International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT), AA 6713, Cali, Colombia.
The Tropical Whitefly IPM Project (TWFP) was the first project of the CGIAR System-wide IPM Programme to be launched in 1997. Participating international agricultural research centres included the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) as the coordinating centre; the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture (IITA) in Nigeria; the International Potato Centre (CIP) in Peru; the Asian Vegetable Research and Development Centre (AVRDC) in Taiwan; and the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) in Kenya. The project was planned in three phases in order to: I) survey the Tropics and determine the regions and crops affected by whiteflies and whitefly-transmitted viruses; II) Evaluate the most viable IPM practices available to control these pests; and III) Disseminate the knowledge acquired during Phases I and II in the affected regions. The project was divided into six subprojects: 1) Whiteflies as vectors of cassava and sweet potato viruses in sub-Saharan Africa, 2) Whiteflies as pests and vectors of plant viruses in Eastern Africa, 3) Whiteflies as pests and vectors of plant viruses in Middle America, 4) Whiteflies as pests in the Andean highlands of South America, 5) Whiteflies as virus vectors in mixed cropping systems of Southeast Asia, and 6) Whiteflies as cassava pests in South America. The main crops investigated in this project were: cassava, sweet potato, common bean, tomato and peppers. The presentation will describe the main results and achievements to date.
