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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Wapato, Washington » Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #350542
Research Project: Systems Approach for Managing Emerging Insect Pests and Insect-Transmitted Pathogens of Potatoes

Location: Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research

Title: Survival and development of potato psyllid (Hemiptera: Triozidae) on Convolvulaceae: effects of a plant-fungus symbiosis (Periglandula)

Author
item KAUR, NAVNEET - University Of Idaho
item Horton, David
item Cooper, William - Rodney
item BADILLO-VARGAS, I - Texas A&M Agrilife
item ESPARZA-DIAZ, G - Texas A&M Agrilife
item RASHED, A - University Of Idaho
item DURINGER, J - Oregon State University

Submitted to: PLOS ONE
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/29/2018
Publication Date: 9/11/2018
Citation: Kaur, N., Horton, D.R., Cooper, W.R., Badillo-Vargas, I.E., Esparza-Diaz, G., Rashed, A., Duringer, J. 2018. Survival and development of potato psyllid (Hemiptera: Triozidae) on Convolvulaceae: effects of a plant-fungus symbiosis (Periglandula). PLoS One. 13(9):e0201506. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0201506.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0201506

Interpretive Summary: Zebra chip, an economically important disease of potato in the United States, is transmitted to potato by the potato psyllid. Researchers at USDA-ARS Wapato in Washington, in collaboration with scientists from University of Idaho and Texas A&M, have determined that several species of native and ornamental Convolvulaceae support growth and development of potato psyllid collected both from Texas and from central Washington State. Development rates were reduced to some extent on Convolvulaceae relative to what is seen on the natural host potato. This information adds to our list of plant species that should be considered to act as potential bridge hosts for potato psyllid in regions lacking agricultural hosts, as well as during those times of year when annual commercial hosts such as potato might not be available.

Technical Abstract: Developmental hosts of potato psyllid, Bactericerea cockerelli (Šulc) (Hemiptera: Psylloidea: Triozidae), include a number of crop and weed species in the Solanaceae. The psyllid has also been shown to develop on two species of Convolvulaceae in two genera (Convolvulus, Ipomoea). This observation is unexpected due to the substantial underrepresentation worldwide of Convolvulaceae as hosts for Psylloidea. We conducted rearing trials with 14 species of Convolvulaceae across four genera to examine whether species of Convolvulaceae other than the two reported in the literature support egg-to-adult development of potato psyllid. Six of those species in two genera (Convolvulus, Ipomoea), including one species previously reported to host the psyllid (Convolvulus arvensis L.), allowed egg-to-adult development. Psyllids failed to complete development on seven other species, including other members of Convolvulus and Ipomoea, as well as species of Calystegia and Turbina. Two haplotypes of potato psyllid were assayed: the Central haplotype, which overlaps geographically with targeted plants; and, the Northwestern haplotype, which overlaps little or not at all with targeted plants. The two haplotypes were identical in plant species which allowed development. On species allowing development, Central psyllids developed more rapidly than Northwestern psyllids. This difference may have been due to intrinsic differences in body size combined with evolutionary co-occurrence of the Central haplotype with these taxa. Finally, we examined DNA-sequences of assayed species to determine whether genetic distance from the psyllid’s typical host (potato) predicted suitability of assayed species. There was no evidence supporting this hypothesis for developmental success. However, development rates of Central psyllids were faster on species more closely related to potato genetically than on more distantly related species.