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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Wapato, Washington » Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #356190
Research Project: Systems Approach for Managing Emerging Insect Pests and Insect-Transmitted Pathogens of Potatoes

Location: Temperate Tree Fruit and Vegetable Research

Title: The weed link in zebra chip epidemiology: Suitability of non-crop Solanaceae and Convolvulaceae to potato psyllid and Liberibacter solanacearum

Author
item Cooper, William - Rodney
item Horton, David
item MILICZKY, EUGENE - Washington State University
item WOHLEB, CARRIE - Washington State University
item WATERS, TIM - Washington State University

Submitted to: American Journal of Potato Research
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 12/27/2018
Publication Date: 2/5/2019
Citation: Cooper, W.R., Horton, D.R., Miliczky, E., Wohleb, C., Waters, T. 2019. The weed link in zebra chip epidemiology: Suitability of non-crop Solanaceae and Convolvulaceae to potato psyllid and Liberibacter solanacearum. American Journal of Potato Research. 96:262:271. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12230-019-09712-z.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12230-019-09712-z

Interpretive Summary: Potato psyllid is an important pest of potato as the vector for the pathogen that causes zebra chip disease. A lack of information on which weed species are suitable hosts for potato psyllid and the zebra chip pathogen makes it impossible to predict when and in what fields infective psyllids will first arrive. Researchers at the USDA-ARS in Wapato, WA and at Washington State University examined the susceptibility of ten weed species to potato psyllid and the zebra chip pathogen. The weeds studied were related to potato and occur in the potato-growing regions of the Pacific Northwest. Potato psyllid completed development on all ten weed species and most plants were susceptible to the zebra chip pathogen. This report provides the most extensive simultaneous examination of plant suitability to potato psyllid and the zebra chip pathogen and will allow researchers and growers to model when and in what potato fields infective psyllids first appear.

Technical Abstract: Potato psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli) is a vector of Liberibacter solanacearum, the pathogen that causes zebra chip disease of potato. While the psyllid apparently colonizes potato from non-crop Solanaceae or Convolvulaceae, the identity of these weed sources is not currently known. We examined susceptibility of ten non-crop species (one Convolvulaceae and nine Solanaceae) to potato psyllid and Liberibacter, with an emphasis on psyllid populations (northwestern and western haplotypes) and plant species that are present in the Pacific Northwest. Psyllids of the western haplotype survived and developed on all species, while psyllids of the northwestern haplotype survived on all species except Solanum physalipholium. All species except Lycium barbarum and Convolvulus arvensis were susceptible to Liberibacter. Results of our study provide the most extensive simultaneous examination of plant suitability to potato psyllid and Liberibacter and will lead to improved capabilities of predicting which potato fields are at risk to arrival of infective psyllids.