<![CDATA[This study evaluated the effectiveness of a botanical insecticide derived from Virginia tobacco (Nicotiana tabacum L.) bark in controlling whitefly (Bemisia tabaci) populations and infestation intensity, as well as its impact on potato (Solanum tuberosum L.) productivity. A completely randomized design was applied using six insecticide concentrations (0%, 2%, 4%, 6%, 8%, and 10%) on Tedjo MZ potato plants. The results showed a significant negative linear relationship between insecticide concentration and pest population (R² = 0.98) as well as infestation intensity (R² = 0.99). The highest pest population (3.92 individuals per plant) and infestation intensity (12.31%) occurred in the control treatment, while the lowest values (3.03 individuals per plant and 11.21%) were observed at the 10% concentration, achieving a population suppression effectiveness of 22.82%. A strong correlation between pest population and infestation intensity (R² = 0.98) indicated that each additional pest increased infestation intensity by 1.27%. Botanical insecticide application significantly improved yield, increasing tuber number by 66.67% and tuber weight by 82.93% at the 10% concentration, with very strong correlations (R² > 0.99). The insecticidal activity is attributed to nicotine alkaloids acting as neurotoxins and secondary phytochemicals with multiple toxic effects. These findings demonstrate the strong potential of tobacco-based botanical insecticides as a sustainable, environmentally friendly, and economically beneficial component of integrated pest management]]>
