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The tomato potato psyllid, B actericera cockerelli ( Š ulc, 1909) ( H emiptera: T riozidae): a review of the threat of the psyllid to A ustralian solanaceous crop industries and surveillance for incursions in potato crops
Author(s) -
Walker Paul W,
Allen Geoff R,
Tegg Robert S,
White Leonie R,
Wilson Calum R
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
austral entomology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.502
H-Index - 39
eISSN - 2052-1758
pISSN - 2052-174X
DOI - 10.1111/aen.12129
Subject(s) - psylloidea , biology , hemiptera , crop , pest analysis , biological dispersal , horticulture , botany , agronomy , population , homoptera , demography , sociology
The tomato potato psyllid, B actericera cockerelli ( Š ulc, 1909), is a major biosecurity threat to A ustralian solanaceous crop industries. Native to N orth and C entral A merica, B . cockerelli was accidentally introduced into N ew Z ealand in the mid‐2000s. The psyllid is a vector of a phloem‐limited, alpha‐proteobacterium, ‘ C andidatus L iberibacter solanacearum’ (= ‘ C a . L . psyllaurous’), which is associated with psyllid yellows disease in tomatoes, potatoes, capsicums, eggplants and tamarillos, and zebra chip disease in potatoes. Both the vector and pathogen have had a devastating impact on the solanaceous crop industries they affect, resulting in millions of dollars of losses annually through increased pest control and surveillance, reduced yields and disruption to commodity export markets. In April 2014, B . cockerelli and ‘ C a . L . solanacearum’ were reported on N orfolk I sland, and it is feared that they could enter other A ustralian S tates or T erritories either through the accidental importation of infested plant material or by the dispersal of psyllids on easterly airflows from N ew Z ealand. In this paper, we give an overview of the threat of the vector and pathogen to A ustralian commodities. We report on an ongoing surveillance program, initiated in F ebruary 2011, designed to detect incursions of B . cockerelli in eastern Australian potato fields using yellow sticky traps. During the last 3 years, over 2300 traps were placed in the major potato growing regions of T asmania, V ictoria, S outh A ustralia and Q ueensland. No B . cockerelli were detected but over 9600 other P sylloidea were trapped, mainly C tenarytaina spp. and A cizzia spp. ( P syllidae). Only 0.3% of all P sylloidea caught belonged to the T riozidae allowing the rapid differentiation of the majority of trapped psyllids from B . cockerelli based on wing venation. Recommendations are made for further research and to extend the surveillance program to include other A ustralian solanaceous crop industries.