Posts Tagged: citrus
Targeting the Asian Citrus Psyllid
A major citrus pest may experience a “Bah, Humbug!” kind of year. If all goes as...
The Asian Citrus Psyllid Team: Scientists in the front row (from left) are Tatiana Mulinari, Rodrigo Magnani, Antonio Juliano Ayres, Walter Leal, Marcelo Miranda, Victoria Esperanca, Odimar Zanardi, and Rejane Luvizotto. The three scientists in back are Haroldo X. L. Volpe (white shirt) Renato de Freitas and Rômulo Carvalho.
New discovery shows promise for battling the Asian Citrus Psyllid.
Native to Asia, the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina ciri, was first detected in the United States in June 1998 in Palm Beach County, Florida. Since then, ACP has invaded all other US citrus areas. It has been detected in 26 of California's 58 counties. Infected psyllids can transmit the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, which causes the fatal citrus disease Huanglongbing (HLB). HLB is currently the most devastating threat to the worldwide citrus industry. A citrus tree infected with HLB may not exhibit any symptoms for two years, and will usually die within five years. UC ANR IPM states that there is no known cure. “The only way to protect trees is to prevent spread of the HLB pathogen in the first place, by controlling psyllid populations and removing and destroying any infected trees.”
The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) has set up extensive monitoring and quarantine programs to track and try to slow the spread of the insect and disease. Currently, both residential and commercial sites that have citrus are monitored by checking yellow sticky traps. Psyllid and leaf samples are being tested for the presence of HLB.
If ACP is detected in an area, farmers must resort to regular spray programs to try to control the ACP population. This practice negatively impacts efforts to have a citrus crop grown with IPM strategies that rely on beneficial insects. In a ground-breaking discovery encompassing six years of research, an international team of scientists led by UC Davis chemical ecologist Walter Leal announced they've identified the sex pheromone of ACP. This pheromone can be used to attract more ACP to sticky traps. “Having a [pheromone] lure to dramatically improve captures of this psyllid with the conventional sticky traps is a major progress toward [developing] integrated pest management [strategies],” said Professor Jose Robert Parra of the University of Sao Paulo. Read more.
Ground-Breaking Research: Sex Pheromone of Asian Citrus Psyllid Discovered
The Asian citrus psyllid, the most devastating threat to the worldwide citrus industry, may have...
This is the Asian citrus psyllid, a mottled brown insect about 3 to 4 millimeters long, or about the size of an aphid. Widespread throughout Southern California, it is now found in 26 of the state's 58 counties. (CDFA Photo)
UC Davis chemical ecologist Walter Leal has just discovered the sex pheromone of the Asian citrus psyillid. He has also discovered the sex pheromones of a number of other insects, including moths (background). (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
UC Davis chemical ecologist Walter Leal (left) talks with FUNDECITRUS director Juliano Ayres on Dec. 5 at the 10th Annual Meeting of Chemical Ecology in Sao Paulo.
Bodil Cass and 'The Curious Case of Katydids in California Citrus'
What an interesting and innovative title: "The Ecoinformatics and the Curious Case of Katydids in...
Postdoctoral researcher Bodil Cass will speak on "The Ecoinformatics and the Curious Case of Katydids in California Citrus" at a seminar on Oct. 25 at UC Davis. Here's a photo of the fork-tailed katydid, Scudderia furcata, that she studies. (Photo by Bodil Cass)
In this image, fork-tailed katydids are all over citrus as part of a research project by postdoctoral scholar Bodil Cass of the Jay Rosenheim, UC Davis. (Photo by Bodil Cass)
Close-up of a fork-tailed katydid. (Photo by Kathy Keatley Garvey)
Citrus Tristeza Virus testing complete at Lindcove REC
Annual testing of more than 11,000 citrus trees for citrus tristeza virus (CTV) was completed last...
California State University plant pathology students enjoy hands-on learning of disease detection technology for Citrus Tristeza Virus at the Bakersfield campus. Photo by Isolde Francis.