Skip to main content
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 #403064

Research Project: Development of Applied Management Systems for Diseases of Perennial Crops with Emphasis on Vector-Borne Pathogens of Grapevine and Citrus

Location: Crop Diseases, Pests and Genetics Research

Title: Ability of glassy-winged sharpshooter to acquire Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca from ripe olive varieties grown in California, USA

Author
item Burbank, Lindsey
item Krugner, Rodrigo
item Rogers, Elizabeth

Submitted to: Meeting Abstract
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/17/2023
Publication Date: 8/20/2023
Citation: Burbank, L.P., Krugner, R., Rogers, E.E. 2023. Ability of glassy-winged sharpshooter to acquire Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca from ripe olive varieties grown in California, USA. Meeting Abstract.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Xylella fastidiosa subsp. pauca is not currently present in North America but could have significant impacts on the United States olive industry if it were introduced. The state of California which has historically dealt with disease outbreaks caused by X. fastidiosa in other crops, produces 70-80% of olives grown in the US. Several insect species present in California, including the glassy-winged sharpshooter (Homalodisca vitripennis, GWSS) are known vectors of X. fastidiosa in grapevine, and could drive spread of X. fastidiosa in olive if subsp. pauca strains were introduced. This study evaluated the susceptibility of three California ripe olive varieties (Mission, Manzanillo, and Sevillano) to olive-pathogenic X. fastidiosa strain DeDonno, as well as ability of GWSS to acquire this pathogen from infected olive plants. GWSS caged on X. fastidiosa-infected olive seedlings for 3 days tested positive by PCR for X. fastidiosa at a rate of 4.8%. This shows that GWSS can acquire X. fastidiosa from California ripe olive varieties and could potentially act as a vector of X. fastidiosa in this crop. Although overall acquisition rates were low, acquisition occurred as soon as 30 days post-inoculation of the plants in all three olive cultivars tested. Potential for GWSS to serve as a vector of X. fastidiosa subsp. pauca in olive is relevant to scenarios where this subspecies is introduced to North America, or where GWSS is introduced to areas where X. fastidiosa subsp. pauca is already present such as the Mediterranean.