Tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) is the number one vegetable crop in Hawaii in terms of popularity and market value. Of the total tomatoes consumed in Hawaii only 23% is produced locally. Local production has decreased substantially over the past few years due to crop losses caused primarily by the Tomato Yellow Leaf Curl Virus (TYLCV), which is vectored by whiteflies Bemisia tabaci and Bemisia argentifolii. Crop losses by TYLCV in tomato crops on Maui range between 60 to 100%. Efforts to keep plants from becoming infected, manage the rate of infection, timing, or severity of the infection are needed to protect crop health. Therefore, a new integrated pest management approach was conducted integrating the use of reflective ground cover, companion plants, insecticides, and tomato varieties resistant to TYLCV. The highest total weight (4.4 lb/pl per harvest time) was observed in the variety PS01522935 in the treatment combining reflective ground cover and companion plants and the highest marketable weight was observed in the same treatment in the varieties PS01522935 and Mesquite (3.5 lb/pl per harvest time), and the highest TYLCV infection was observed in the conventional treatment in the varieties Paisano followed by Healani, Celebrity Plus and Kewalo, and the varieties with no TYLCV infection were PS01522935, SVTD8601 and Mesquite. The use of reflective ground cover and companion plants may reduce TYLCV infections in tomato crops by reducing whitefly populations.
