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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Tifton, Georgia » Southeast Watershed Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #391161
Research Project: Biologically-based Management Systems for Insect Pests and Pollinators in Agricultural Landscapes in the Southeastern Region

Location: Southeast Watershed Research

Title: Spatiotemporal distribution of the glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca vitripennis (Hemiptera: Cicdellidae) in a southeastern agroecosystem

Author
item Grabarczyk, Erin
item NORTHFIELD, TOBIN - Washington State University
item MIZELL, RUSSELL III - University Of Florida
item GREENE, JEREMY - Clemson University
item Cottrell, Ted
item Tillman, Patricia - Glynn
item ANDERSON, PETER - University Of Florida
item RIDDLE, CHARLES - University Of Florida
item Hunter, Wayne

Submitted to: Florida Entomologist
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/7/2022
Publication Date: 1/6/2023
Citation: Grabarczyk, E.E., Mizell, R.F., Northfield, T.D., Greene, J.K., Cottrell, T.E., Tillman, P.G., Anderson, P.C., Riddle, C.T., Hunter, W.B. 2023. Spatiotemporal distribution of the glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca vitripennis (Hemiptera: Cicdellidae) in a southeastern agroecosystem. Florida Entomologist. 105(4):280-286. https://doi.org/10.1653/024.105.0403.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1653/024.105.0403

Interpretive Summary: In the southeastern USA, glassy-winged sharpshooters are pests of many crops because they spread a harmful plant bacterium, Xylella fastidiosa, which causes many diseases. In this study, research scientists found large numbers sharpshooters in crops and surrounding woodlands at a northern Florida farm. During the spring, glassy-winged sharpshooters were mainly found in woodland habitat. During the summer, sharpshooters moved into crop fields, but were also found in woodlands during these months. For growers in the southeast USA, this means that management practices aimed at controlling glassy-winged sharpshooters should consider limiting early spring migration from woodlands into crop fields.

Technical Abstract: The glassy-winged sharpshooter, Homalodisca vitripennis (Germar), (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae), is a generalist, xylophagous insect and agricultural pest. In agroecosystems, adults disperse between habitats, foraging on crop and non-crop hosts, oftentimes vectoring a harmful plant pathogen, Xylella fastidiosa. Understanding the spatiotemporal dynamics of this species in crops and the surrounding non-crop habitat may lead to improved pest management programs that reduce pathogen transmission. Here, we used three years of trapping data across a southeastern USA agroecosystem to characterize spatiotemporal distribution patterns of the glassy-winged sharpshooter in a variety of habitats. Adult glassy-winged sharpshooters were captured weekly on yellow sticky cards, Spatial Analysis by Distance Indices (SADIE) used to identify significant aggregations, and interpolated maps generated to characterize distribution patterns of adults within season and between years. Overall, the distribution of glassy-winged sharpshooters varied seasonally, with individuals captured primarily in woodlands and fallow fields during early season months. Later in the growing season and as population levels increased, sharpshooters were more commonly captured in crop habitat, including wheat and corn fields. By evaluating spatiotemporal distribution patterns, we identified likely sources of spring migration into cropping systems. Thus, pest management strategies for the glassy-winged sharpshooter should seek to limit early spring migration from non-crop habitat into crop fields.