<![CDATA[Bemisia tabaci is an important pest of chili pepper that can reduce plant performance through phloem feeding and associated damage. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of companion plants on the population and damage intensity of B. tabaci in a chili-tomato intercropping system. The study employed an experimental method using a Randomized Complete Block Design (RCBD) with five treatments, consisting of a control, marigold (Tagetes erecta L.), zinnia (Zinnia elegans Jacq.), basil (Ocimum basilicum L.), and lemongrass (Cymbopogon nardus (L.) Rendle), with four replications. Observations were conducted periodically during plant growth to assess B. tabaci population and damage intensity. The results showed that B. tabaci population increased during plant development and reached its highest level at 60–70 days after planting, with the highest population occuring in the control. All companion-plant treatments had lower B. tabaci population than the control, with marigold showing the lowest mean population (3.30 individual plant-1). Damage intensity followed a similar pattern, with the control reaching the highest value of 3.78%, whereas companion-plant treatments maintained lower levels of damage. Linear regression showed a very strong positive relationship between B. tabaci population and damage intensity (r = 0.9935; R2 = 0.9871; p < 0.001). these results indicate that companion plants have potential as a habitat-management component for reducing B. tabaci population and damage in chili-tomato intercropping systems.Keywords: Bemisia tabaci, chili pepper, companion plants, habitat management, intercropping system]]>
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