ARS | Publication request: Repellency of a kaolin particle film to potato payllid, Bactericera cockerelli (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) on tomato under laboratory and field conditions

Submitted to: Pest Management Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: December 21, 2010
Publication Date: December 1, 2011
Citation: Peng, L., Trumble, J.T., Munyaneza, J.E., Tong-Xian, L. 2011. Repellency of a kaolin particle film to potato payllid, Bactericera cockerelli (Hemiptera: Psyllidae) on tomato under laboratory and field conditions. Pest Management Science. 67:815-824.

Interpretive Summary: The potato psyllid has recently become a major concern to growers because of its direct feeding and vectoring of diseases to potato, tomato, and pepper crops in U.S. and several other countries. At present, applications of broad-spectrum insecticides are the only effective means for management of this insect. Intensive use of these insecticides is often costly and harmful to humans and the environment. Researchers at the USDA-ARS Wapato, in collaboration with scientists at Texas A&M University, University of California, and Northwest A&F University in China, conducted studies to investigate the effectiveness of kaolin, a safer and cheaper pesticide for control of this insect. It was determined that kaolin was effective in controlling the potato psyllid and could help affected growers significantly reduce damage caused by this insect and the incidence of diseases it transmits to crops.

Technical Abstract: The potato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli, is a vector of “Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum,” the bacterium causing several diseases in solanaceous crops. Laboratory and field no-choice and choice experiments were conducted to evaluate repellency of kaolin particle film on adults of B. cockerelli on tomato plants which had been sprayed with the pesticide on the upper surface only, lower surface only and on both leaf surfaces. In no-choice tests in the laboratory, numbers of adults on leaves were not different between the kaolin particle film and the water control regardless of which leaf surface(s) was treated, but numbers of eggs were lower on the leaves treated with kaolin particle film than those with water. In choice tests with water-treated plants or kaolin particle film-treated plants at ratios of 1:1, 6:3 or 8:1, fewer adults and eggs were found on the kaolin particle film-treated leaves than on water-treated leaves. Under field conditions, in caged no-choice or choice tests, fewer adults, eggs and nymphs were found on kaolin particle film-treated plants than on water-treated plants. In an uncaged test under field conditions, plants sprayed with kaolin particle film had fewer psyllids than those sprayed with water. Thus, even though potato psyllid adults would land on kaolin particle film treated-plants when no choice was given, fewer eggs were laid. When given a choice, the psyllids avoided plants treated with kaolin particle film under laboratory and field conditions. Kaolin particle film treatment may be a useful alternative for management of potato psyllids under field conditions.