Psyllid Vectors: From Genetics to Pest Integrated Management

Dear Colleagues,

Psyllids are plant sap-sucking insects that transmit many plant bacterial pathogens in a persistent propagative and circulative manner. Two groups of bacteria are transmitted by psyllids: members of the genus Candidatus Liberibacter, including Ca. L. asiaticus, the causal agent of Huanglongbing, currently the most destructive disease in citrus, and Ca. L. solanacearum, the causal agent of Zebra chip in tomato and potato; and mollicutes, though there is only one group of phytoplasmas, the 16SrX or apple proliferation group, whose members are transmitted by psyllids. The psyllid vector species of these phytoplasmas are also closely related and all belong to the genus Cacopsylla.

As crops infected with these bacteria cannot be cured, and resistant plant material is not yet available to growers, preventive control measures such as vector control are of paramount importance to limit the spread of these diseases. Thus, detailed knowledge about the genetics, biology, and ecology of the vector species as well as knowledge about the transmission parameters is crucial. This Topical Collection will focus on psyllid–plant–pathogen interactions, including psyllid genetics and biology, factors affecting transmission, and new approaches to psyllid control, blocking transmission and decreasing the dispersal of plant bacterial diseases.

Dr. Nabil Killiny
Collection Editor

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