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Host specificity testing and examination for plant pathogens reveals that the gall‐inducing psyllid C alophya latiforceps is safe to release for biological control of B razilian peppertree

2014; Wiley; Volume: 154; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1111/eea.12249

1570-7458

Rodrigo Díaz, Verónica Manrique, Joseph E. Munyaneza, Venkatesan G. Sengoda, Scott Adkins, Katherine Hendricks, Pamela D. Roberts, William A. Overholt,

Hymenoptera taxonomy and phylogeny

Abstract B razilian peppertree, S chinus terebinthifolia R addi ( A nacardiaceae), is one of the worst upland exotic weeds in F lorida, USA . Foreign exploration for natural enemies led to the discovery of a pit‐galling psyllid, C alophya latiforceps B urckhardt ( H emiptera: C alophyidae), in the state of B ahia, B razil, in 2010. Crawlers of C . latiforceps stimulate the formation of galls on the leaves of S . terebinthifolia resulting in leaf discoloration and in some cases leaf abscission. To determine whether C . latiforceps is a safe candidate for biological control of S . terebinthifolia , host specificity and the presence of selected plant pathogens were examined. Adult oviposition, gall formation, and adult survival of C . latiforceps were examined on 89 plant species under no‐choice and choice conditions. We found that C . latiforceps laid eggs on plants in seven families; however, crawlers stimulated gall formation and completed development to adult only on S . terebinthifolia . All crawlers on non‐target plants died, likely due to starvation caused either by the absence of a feeding stimulus or by a hypersensitive plant response. Under no‐choice conditions, 10% of adults lived for 19 days on the target weed, but adult survival was reduced to <3 days on non‐target plants. Choice testing revealed that females preferred to oviposit on S . terebinthifolia compared to non‐target plants. Molecular methods and indicator host inoculations did not detect the presence of ‘ C andidatus L iberibacter solanacearum’, ‘ C a . L . asiaticus’, ‘ C a . L . americanus’, ‘ C a . L . africanus’, or plant viruses in adult C . latiforceps . We conclude that releasing C . latiforceps in the USA will have extremely low risk to non‐target plants, and provides another tool for the management of S . terebinthifolia .