Key unknowns about Asian citrus psyllid biology in Florida: Overwintering sites and alternative hosts

Key unknowns about Asian citrus psyllid biology in Florida: Overwintering sites and alternative hosts

Report Date: 04/15/2014
Project: 581   Year: 2014
Category: ACP Vector
Author: Kirsten Pelz-Stelinski
Sponsor: Citrus Research and Development Foundation

We have continued this investigation by conducting a second year of replication. Specifically, we sampled Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) populations during the winter season at various heights within tress and with respect to the cardinal direction of trees within Florida citrus groves. We sampled two locations and each one was divided into two plots: one oriented north-south and the other east-west. For each plot, we sampled the citrus canopy at three different heights within trees and the four cardinal orientations within the grove using a custom-made, high powered insect vacuum sampler to collect ACP. Our goal was to develop a two dimensional picture of ACP distribution within citrus groves during winter. Hobo data loggers (which collect environmental data such as temperature) were placed at these various locations to correlate temperature and relative humidity with ACP distribution within groves. The data are currently still being analyzed. However, preliminarily, it appears that ACP populations were high within the groves sampled. We collected 2 psyllids per sample with a maximum sample with 33 psyllids per sample during our winter collections from individual portions of trees. We compared our results with those obtained and posted by personnel from USDA-APHIS that sampled the same plots for the CHMA project and who used the tap sampling method. While tap sampling conducted by USDA-APHIS did not find psyllids in these particular areas during February and March, we collected over 100 psyllids in a single day using the vacuum method in these areas.


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