The Life Table of Psyllids (Hemiptera:Triozidae) on Tomato Leaves

Authors

  • Aurora Acevedo Texas A&M University

Abstract

Bactericera cockerelli is a very destructive pest that transmits Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (Lso). An effective strategy does not exist to control the Candidatus Liberibacter species for plant protection. The management practices that do exist practice on limiting the spread of infection. When irradiation technology has been used, it has shown a great promise to disinfest pests. It is currently not clear how eBeam dosage impacts the psyllids life cycle. This experiment focuses on the life cycle of psyllids under laboratory conditions without eBeam treatment. It is meant to set the foundation for further research at Texas A&M University. Seeds were germinated and transplanted at the Texas A&M Institute for Plant Genomics and Biotechnology. Psyllids from a colony provided were placed on tomato leaves and the developmental times of 60 psyllids were documented. The average developmental time for an egg to become an adult was 21 days. The average developmental time for each instar stage was between 3 to 4 days. Further research will be conducted by Texas A&M University to evaluate the effects of eBeam irradiation at various doses on psyllid growth, developmental time and reproduction.

Author Biography

  • Aurora Acevedo, Texas A&M University
    Senior Entomology Major

References

Bove JM, 2006. Huanglongbing: A destructive, newly-emerging, century-old disease of citrus.

Journal of Plant Pathology 88, 7-37.

Hallman GJ, 2012. Generic phytosanitary irradiation treatments. Radiation Physics and

Chemistry 81, 861-6.

Levy J, Hancock J, Ravindran A, Gross D, Tamborindeguy C, Pierson E, 2013. Methods for

rapid and effective PCR-based detection of 'Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum' from the insect vector Bactericera cockerelli: streamlining the DNA extraction/purification process. Journal of Economic Entomology 106, 1440-5.

Liefting LW, Sutherland PW, Ward LI, Paice KL, Weir BS, Clover GRG, 2009. A New

'Candidatus Liberibacter' Species Associated with Diseases of Solanaceous Crops. Plant Disease 93, 208-14.

Downloads

Published

2019-11-04