Predicting When, Why and Where Asian citrus psylllids move to increase effectiveness of insecticide sprays

Predicting When, Why and Where Asian citrus psylllids move to increase effectiveness of insecticide sprays

Report Date: 03/20/2017
Project: 15-024   Year: 2018
Category: ACP Vector
Author: Lukasz Stelinski
Sponsor: Citrus Research and Development Foundation

We have continued to investigate movement of Asian Citrus Psyllid (ACP) in response to abiotic and biotic factors. Currently, we are investigating the flight duration as it relates to humidity and influence of wind velocity on movement in the laboratory and field. A flight mill was used to measure the flight of ACP under differing humidity and temperature treatments. We have thus far tested increasing humidity with increasing temperature in the following three treatments: 70�F/relative humidity (RH) 60%, 77�F/ RH 60%, 82�F/ RH 75%. Increasing temperature and humidity caused psyllids to fly longer distances. Psyllids flew the longest distances in the 82�F/ RH 75% treatment but initiated flight 2x more in the 77�F/ RH 60% treatment. This preliminary result suggests that ACP may be flying longer distances on hotter, more humid days but making more frequent short flights on cooler, lower humidity days. We are currently expanding this data set with additional temperature and RH treatments. We are investigating the influence of wind on ACP dispersal in the laboratory and field. In the laboratory, we are using a wind tunnel set up. ACP are allowed to settle on a young citrus plant for 24 hours before exposed to a wind treatment for 24 hours. To track their dispersal, a sticky trap is set up behind the plant and to the surrounding cage at 1, 2, 3, and 24 hours of wind exposure. We have tested the following wind velocities: 1.8 meters per second, 1.5 m/s, 1 m/s, and 0.38 m/s. At higher wind velocities, ACP does not move and the most movement occurs in no wind controls. The results from this study currently indicate that ACP is dispersing most at 0.38 m/s. In the field, we are assessing ACP movement using a wind vane fitted with sticky traps alongside an anemometer. The wind vane shifts direction to align with the wind. We have been preliminarily field testing this apparatus with great success. Currently, in low density winter ACP populations, it appears that the ACP are moving with the wind and moving more at wind velocities under 1m/s.


Your browser does not support pdfs, click here to download the file.