Benzothiadiazole induces local resistance to Bemisia tabaci (Hemiptera: Aleyrodidae) in tomato plants.

Plant resistance to the B and Q biotypes of sweetpotato whitefly, Bemisa tabaci (Gennadius), induced by benzo [1,2,3] thiadiazole-7-carbothioic acid-S-methyl ester (BTH or acibenzolar-S-methyl) in tomato 'Marmande' plants was evaluated in free-choice and no-choice assays under different conditions. BTH is the active ingredient of the Syngenta plant activator Bion. BTH treatment affected host preference of B.