Impact of Trialeurodes vaporariorum (Westwood) infestation on tomato fruit quality, marketability, and yield in Uzbekistan greenhouses

The greenhouse whitefly (Trialeurodes vaporariorum Westwood) is a major pest of protected vegetable crops worldwide, including Uzbekistan. This study investigated the bioecology, damage severity, and association between whitefly infestation and tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L. cultivar ‘Marnins’) fruit quality and yield under greenhouse conditions in the Samarkand region, Uzbekistan. Experiments were conducted from March to October 2025 in four naturally infested greenhouses for baseline observations, followed by an intervention experiment in twelve greenhouses (200 m² each) randomly allocated to four treatments: yellow sticky traps (YST), the entomopathogenic fungus Beauveria bassiana (strain BB-1), a chemical treatment recorded in the field log as Applaud 25% WP, and an untreated control. Each treatment was replicated three times. Development from egg to adult lasted 21.3 ± 1.2 days at 25 ± 2 °C. Peak population occurred in July (152.4 ± 18.7 adults per leaf). Whitefly infestation was associated with poorer tomato fruit quality: soluble-solids concentration decreased from 6.8 to 4.7 °Brix (30.9% reduction), firmness declined by 34.5% (from 1.16 to 0.76 kg cm⁻²), and marketable-fruit proportion dropped from 89.2% to 54.3%, primarily due to sooty-mould contamination. Total yield in the untreated control was 41.3% lower than under YST when expressed relative to YST yield. Weekly counts showed the largest observed YST reduction at week 2 (84.6% relative to the contemporaneous control), while the B. bassiana reduction increased from 26.4% at week 1 to 72.4% at week 6. These findings support early monitoring and further evaluation of integrated whitefly management in Uzbekistan greenhouses. The study did not test a combined YST + B. bassiana treatment, pesticide residues, virus incidence, microbial safety, or postharvest shelf life.