Optimizing efficiencies in biosecurity surveillance and monitoring: testing colour and multi-lure traps on tomato potato psyllid, other plant-lice (Psylloidea) and stinkbugs (Pentatomoidea)

Abstract

Cost efficiency in biosecurity surveillance is vital, and the ability to survey for multiple pest species using just one trap therefore highly appealing. The Psylloidea, or plantlice, contain significant horticultural pest species that act as vectors for a number of deleterious plant bacteriums. We examine the efficacy of using two different coloured sticky traps, and two lure types on the general Psylloidea and Pentatomoidea fauna, and a target extant pest psyllid; tomato potato psyllid (TPP) Bactericera cockerelli (Šulc). Specifically, we test the effect of lure (no lure, Asian citrus psyllid ACP lure, brown marmorated stink bug BMSB lure, combined lures), sticky trap color (green vs yellow), and sentinel plant (tomato vs citrus) on psyllid and stink bug species in 104 urban backyards across Perth, Australia. We found that tomato sentinel host plants and green traps significantly increased the capture rate of TPP, but that all lures decreased the capture of TPP. Green traps also increased the capture rate of all other Psylloidea. Although BMSB lures reduced TPP capture, these lures increased abundances of other Psylloidea and the pest stinkbug Plautia affinis (Dallas) on traps. Thus, our experiment demonstrates that increased efficiencies can be gained with combination traps and lures for particular groups, provided that they have been tested on focal organisms in the first instance, as reactions to non-target lures are unpredictable and species specific.