ABSTRACT
Plant resistance to Bemisia tabaci or any other insect may be explained as perceptible reduction in population growth due to genetic characteristics of the host plant compared to a standard variety. Resistance is a natural phenomenon and is the rule rather than the exception. The two major categories of resistance to insects are antixenosis and antibiosis, which often occur together. The success of any breeding programme for resistance to insects essentially depends on realistic testing methods to screen a very large number of plants reliably with minimum effort. M. J. Berlinger has listed various factors which are antagonistic to plant resistance. Climatic conditions have been found to alter the degree of resistance. The more important factors are virus-vector relationship, the relative importance of primary and secondary spread, and the type and level of resistance to the whitefly. Breeding for improvement of biological control of whiteflies is a fascinating approach that deserves more attention than it has received so far.
