Response Influence of Sowing Dates Impact Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius) Infestation in Cucumber Crops (Cucumis sativus L.)

The experiment conducted in a private cucumber field, Ibshway Center, Fayoum governorate, Egypt aimed to assess the influence of sowing dates on the infestation of Bemisia tabaci (Gennadius, 1889) in cucumber crops (Cucumis sativus L.). The study was carried out over two consecutive years, namely 2018 and 2019. During this period involved three planting dates were considered, namely March, August, and October. Weekly B. tabaci counts were recorded and compared across the different planting dates. According to the results, B. tabaci reached the highest peak of abundance in March sowing date in the second week of May 2018 and in the fourth week of April 2019 and presented by 825 and 1086 individuals/sample, respectively. While, in August sowing date, B. tabaci recorded the highest peak of abundance in the second week of October 2018 and in the third week of October 2019 and presented by 1432 and 1656 individuals/sample, respectively. August sowing date recorded the highest percentage of B. tabaci dominance during the two years 2018 and 2019 and presented by 50.6 and 48.9%, respectively. March sowing date recorded the lowest percentage of B. tabaci dominance during the two years 2018 and 2019 and presented by 23.7 and 25.3%, respectively.