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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Poplarville, Mississippi » Southern Horticultural Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #392507
Research Project: Establishing Agronomic and Pest Management Practices for Vegetable, Specialty Crops, and Fruit Growers while Improving Pollinator Health

Location: Southern Horticultural Research Unit

Title: Seasonal abundance and diversity of potential Xylella (Xanthomonadales: xanthomonadaceae) vectoring leafhoppers in Mississippi muscadine vineyards

Author
item Werle, Christopher
item Babiker, Ebrahiem
item Adamczyk, John

Submitted to: Subtropical Agriculture and Environments
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/12/2022
Publication Date: 5/25/2022
Citation: Werle, C.T., Babiker, E.M., Adamczyk Jr, J.J. 2022. Seasonal abundance and diversity of potential Xylella (Xanthomonadales: xanthomonadaceae) vectoring leafhoppers in Mississippi muscadine vineyards. Subtropical Agriculture and Environments. 73:1-8.

Interpretive Summary: Leafhoppers are an important yet understudied vector of Pierce's Disease in Mississippi muscadine grape crops. We tested the diversity, abundance and seasonality of leafhopper populations among five muscadine cultivars at two research farms over two years. While the glassy-winged sharpshooter was predictably abundant, other species also were present in high numbers, including an invasive species previously unreported from this region. This knowledge will help growers to make vector management decisions when the disease becomes too problematic

Technical Abstract: Pierce’s disease remains an important economic problem for producers of wine grapes, and while muscadine grapes do exhibit resistance, stressed or weakened vines can be more susceptible. Vector management may be a useful tool in limiting the pathogen spread within a vineyard, but knowledge of leafhopper species composition and their Xylella-vectoring potential remains scant. Sticky traps placed among five muscadine cultivars (Alachua, Carlos, Nesbit, Noble and Southern Home) in two vineyards in southern Mississippi were used to identify potential leafhopper vectors. While the glassy-winged sharpshooter was predictably abundant, other species also were prominent including the invasive Sophonia orientalis (Matsumura). Gaining knowledge on species of potential Xylella vectors, their relative abundance and seasonal distribution within the vineyards provides data on potential disease pressure in this under-studied region, and will facilitate future efforts to quantify X. fastidiosa infection of these species.