We investigated how chemical cues derived from female Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae) and their host plants affect host acceptance choices by conspecifics. In four-choice cage and two-choice olfactometer assays, female psyllids avoided conspecific female cues in a density-dependent manner. However, odors from citrus plants actively damaged by psyllid feeding were attractive to conspecific females. When odors from feeding-damaged plants were presented simultaneously with odors from female D. citri, attraction of female conspecifics was no longer observed as compared with a clean air control in olfactometer assays. In subsequent experiments, D. citri females were released within arenas that contained actively feeding-damaged or non-damaged (control) citrus plants, each with previously psyllid-infested and uninfested young leaves. D. citri development is linked to the presence of these newly emerging leaves which is the only site of nymphal development. Female D. citri were initially attracted by the actively damaged plants as compared with non-damaged controls. After acceptance of plants that were actively damaged by feeding, D. citri females preferentially chose and settled on uninfested young leaves as compared with previously infested young leaves. A herbivore-induced plant volatile attractant and a femalespecific odor repellent appear to be complementary foraging cues providing psyllids with information at two spatial scales: (1) the whole plant level for choosing a plant potentially harboring male conspecifics for mating, and (2) the within plant level to reduce intra-conspecific competition by identifying previously exploited resources.
Buprofezin and diflubenzuron effectively suppressed D. citri adult emergence. D. citri were more susceptible as early (first-third-instar) than late (fifth-instar) nymphs. Both IGRs inhibited egg production and egg hatch. Reduction in the number of subsequent offspring suggests reduced vertical transmission of Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, the pathogen thought to cause citrus greening disease. The present results indicate that both IGRs tested here should be effective tools for rotation in insecticide-based D. citri management programs.
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