STICKINESS POTENTIAL OF INDIVIDUAL INSECT HONEYDEW CARBOHYDRATES ON COTTON LINT

Stickiness of cotton fiber is usually caused by honeydew deposits from phloem-feeding insects, including whiteflies and aphids. This work wa s conducted to determine if the specific sugars commonly found in inse ct honeydews have different stickiness properties when applied to cott on lint. Standard sugar solutions were applied to non-sticky cotton li nt using a chromatography sprayer and assessed for stickiness using a minicard. The results indicate significant variation in natural sticki ness within the sugars commonly found in insect honeydews. Trehalulose , a major component of sweet potato whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) honeydew , was very sticky, as were turanose, palatinose, and sucrose. Melezito se, raffinose, glucose, and fructose were relatively nonsticky. Oligos accharide stickiness was not directly related to the oligomer chain le ngth, at least up to DP 3. These results suggest efforts to exploit bi ological methods to ameliorate honeydew-affected lint should focus on sugar components known to be sticky.