Location: Crop Diseases, Pests and Genetics Research
Title: Ability of glassy-winged sharpshooter to acquire Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca from ripe olive varieties grown in California, USAAuthor
Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only Publication Acceptance Date: 5/17/2023 Publication Date: 8/20/2023 Citation: Burbank, L.P., Krugner, R., Rogers, E.E. 2023. Ability of glassy-winged sharpshooter to acquire Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca from ripe olive varieties grown in California, USA. Meeting Abstract. Interpretive Summary: Technical Abstract: Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca is not currently present in North America but could have significant impacts on the United States olive industry if it were introduced. The state of California which has historically dealt with disease outbreaks caused by X. fastidiosa in other crops, produces 70-80% of olives grown in the US. Several insect species present in California, including the glassy-winged sharpshooter (Homalodisca vitripennis, GWSS) are known vectors of X. fastidiosa in grapevine, and could drive spread of X. fastidiosa in olive if subsp. pauca strains were introduced. This study evaluated the susceptibility of three California ripe olive varieties (Mission, Manzanillo, and Sevillano) to olive-pathogenic X. fastidiosa strain DeDonno, as well as ability of GWSS to acquire this pathogen from infected olive plants. GWSS caged on X. fastidiosa-infected olive seedlings for 3 days tested positive by PCR for X. fastidiosa at a rate of 4.8%. This shows that GWSS can acquire X. fastidiosa from California ripe olive varieties and could potentially act as a vector of X. fastidiosa in this crop. Although overall acquisition rates were low, acquisition occurred as soon as 30 days post-inoculation of the plants in all three olive cultivars tested. Potential for GWSS to serve as a vector of X. fastidiosa subsp. pauca in olive is relevant to scenarios where this subspecies is introduced to North America, or where GWSS is introduced to areas where X. fastidiosa subsp. pauca is already present such as the Mediterranean. |