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Glite Dictionary
Bemisia tabaci

Bemisia tabaci

9.9
A small whitefly that feeds on and harms many crop plants
  • noun
  • Specialized
translation icon : Bemisia tabaci
  • Bemisia tabaci is a notorious pest that damages various crops by feeding on their sap.

Examples

  • Bemisia tabaci has caused significant losses to tomato crops in many regions.

  • Outbreaks of Bemisia tabaci impact both greenhouse and field-grown vegetables.

  • Scientists are developing new methods to control the spread of Bemisia tabaci.

  • Farmers are worried about the spread of Bemisia tabaci.

  • The Bemisia tabaci population has increased significantly this year.

  • Farmers use insecticides to control the populations of Bemisia tabaci on their farms.

  • The presence of Bemisia tabaci in a greenhouse can lead to serious declines in plant health.

Synonyms

sweet-potato whitefly
vsBemisia tabaci
  • Specialized
6.1

A small insect that attacks sweet potatoes and other crops and spreads plant viruses

is the formal scientific species name used in technical and research contexts

Surface Forms

Bemisia tabaci singular

Morphology

Bemisia + tabaci

This is a scientific Latin binomial (genus + species) whose meaning (a specific whitefly pest) is taxonomic rather than compositional; the parts are proper names, not ordinary English words whose meanings combine. Even if a learner knew the genus name, the species epithet 'tabaci' is not an everyday English word and the overall label requires specialist biological knowledge, so a B1 learner would not be able to derive the meaning from the constituents.

Etymology

Bemisia tabaci is a scientific Latin name, and the second word tabaci comes from the plant 'tobacco' because this small whitefly was first noticed on tobacco plants. That's why the name points to one of the plants it attacks and helps explain why the insect is an important crop pest.