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Submitted to: International Auchenorrhyncha Congress
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 8/2/2005 Publication Date: 8/8/2005 Citation: Katsar, C.S., Hunter, W.B., Mizell, R. 2005. Phytoreoviruses and the Glassy-winged Sharpshooter (Hemiptera: Cicdellidae). Joint: 12th International Auchenorrhyncha Congress and 6th International Workshop on Leafhoppers and Planthoppers of Ecomonic Importance. August 8-12, 2005. Berkeley, CA. Paper No. 42. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: The Glassy-winged sharpshooter, GWSS, Homalodisca coagulata, has become established in California and has drawn attention as the main vector of Pierce’s Disease of grapes however; recent findings suggest that other crops are also at risk from plant diseases which are being transmitted by this fast spreading insect pest. A Rice Dwarf-like virus was isolated from the salivary glands of the GWSS collected in southern California. California is the third largest rice-growing state in the USA, producing over 2.50 million tons of rice in 2004. The Reoviridae are large, architecturally-complex viruses containing segmented double-stranded RNA genomes that infect plant hosts and which are transmitted by leafhopper insect vectors. Rice Dwarf Virus (RDV) is a leafhopper-transmitted member of the Phytoreoviridae that infects graminaceous hosts. The presence of Rice Dwarf-like virus indicates that the GWSS may be causing more economic damage than just as a vector of Pierce’s Disease, and expanded monitoring in other crops that are susceptible to viruses within the Phytoreoviridae would be prudent. |
