Bacterial Diversity of the Silverleaf Whitefly, Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius), Collected on Jasmine and Chrysanthemum

The adults and nymphs of Bemisia tabaci were collected on jasmine and chrysanthemum during 2021-2023 from Southern part of Karnataka, India. Bacterial colonies were isolated from adults and nymphs of B. tabaci using spread-plate technique and identified through 16srRNA sequencing. The B. tabaci collected on jasmine harboured more number of bacteria (8 species) than chrysanthemum (5 species). Most bacterial species isolated from B. tabaci, collected on jasmine and chrysanthemum, belonged to the phylum Bacillota (62.5 and 60 percent). Similarly, Bacilli, Bacillales and Bacillaceae were the dominant class, order and family of the bacteria associated with B. tabaci. Nymphs harboured higher number of bacteria than adults in both jasmine (62.5 and 33.5 percent, respectively) and chrysanthemum (60 and 40 percent, respectively). Bacillus cereus and B. pumilus were commonly found species from the nymphs and adults of B. tabaci on jasmine. When insect hosts shifted, change in the nutrition and defence system of the host plant influences the bacterial diversity of the insect.