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ARS Home » Pacific West Area » Parlier, California » San Joaquin Valley Agricultural Sciences Center » Crop Diseases, Pests and Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #343700
Research Project: Identification of Novel Management Strategies for Key Pests and Pathogens of Grapevine with Emphasis on the Xylella Fastidiosa Pathosystem

Location: Crop Diseases, Pests and Genetics Research

Title: Detection and typing of Xylella fastidiosa from glassy-winged sharpshooter for Pierce’s disease epidemiology

Author
item Burbank, Lindsey
item Sisterson, Mark
item Krugner, Rodrigo
item Stenger, Drake

Submitted to: Australian and New Zealand Entomological Societies Conference
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 8/6/2017
Publication Date: 9/17/2017
Citation: Burbank, L.P., Sisterson, M.S., Krugner, R., Stenger, D.C. 2017. Detection and typing of Xylella fastidiosa from glassy-winged sharpshooter for Pierce’s disease epidemiology. Presented at Australian and New Zealand Entomological Societies Conference, Sept 17-20, 2017, Terrigal, Australia

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Epidemiology of Pierce’s disease of grape, caused by the bacterial pathogen Xylella fastidiosa (Xf), is largely dependent on populations of insect vectors such as the invasive glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS) (Homalodisca vitripennis). In the grape-growing regions of the southern San Joaquin Valley of California, disease and vector control are complicated by the presence of other crops such as citrus which can serve as alternate feeding hosts for GWSS. To determine the time of year that GWSS are most likely to spread Xf in vineyards, and to improve the efficacy of area-wide pest control programs, surveys were conducted to identify number and location of Xf-positive GWSS in vineyards and citrus orchards throughout the growing season. Xf was detected in GWSS heads using TaqMan probe-based quantitative PCR (qPCR). Xf-positive GWSS were most prevalent in vineyards during late summer when the pathogen was readily detectable in grapevine, but were found in citrus throughout the winter when grapevines are dormant. As multiple Xf strains with different host ranges are endemic to the San Joaquin Valley, sequence typing was conducted using Xf genes amplified directly from GWSS heads which had tested positive for Xf by qPCR. The dominant Xf genotype identified in the GWSS samples matched the genotype of strains isolated from grapevines systemically infected with Xf in the vineyards studied. This suggests that TaqMan qPCR methods can be used to efficiently evaluate localized pathogen presence and seasonal dynamics from field-collected insects.