Intercropping can reduce agricultural pest incidence, and represents an important sustainable alternative to conventional pest control methods. Understanding the ecological mechanisms for intercropping could help optimize its use, particularly in tropical systems which present a large number of intercropping possibilities. Citrus is threatened worldwide by greening disease (huanglongbing, HLB) ...

Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Psyllidae), a vector of huanglongbing (citrus greening disease), exhibits threemore or less distinct abdominal colors in the adult stage: gray/brown, blue/green, and orange/yellow. A previous report showed that, relative to blue/green individuals, gray/brown individuals of both sexes have lower bodymass, and gray/brown females may have lower reproductive ou...

Gyropsylla spegazziniana (Paraguay tea ampul) is one of the most important pests of Paraguay tea plants, and prohibition of synthetic insecticide use for control of this pest has led to the search for alternative methods. This laboratory study aimed to compare different control strategies for G. spegazziniana, utilizing a commercial neem seed oil product. Paraguay tea seedlings were treated wit...

We examined the role of chemical signals in sex attraction of pear psylla, Cacopsylla pyricola (Förster), assessing the response of summerform male and female psyllids to maleand female-produced volatile chemicals. Male psyllids were attracted to odors from live females and pentane extracts of females. Extracts of females were as attractive to males as live females, suggesting that the female-p...

Scanning (SEM) and transmission (TEM) electron microscopy were used to elucidate the morphology of the rostrum, as well as the mandibular and maxillary stylets of the psyllid Diaphorina citri, vector of phloem-inhabiting bacteria associated with citrus huanglongbing (HLB) disease. D. citri has a cone-shaped rostrum that extends behind the pair of prothoracic coxae. The stylet bundle comprises a...

The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri Kuwayama is considered a key citrus pest due to its role as vector of 'huanglongbing' (HLB) or citrus greening, probably the most economically damaging disease of citrus. Insecticidal control of the vector is still considered a cornerstone of HLB management to prevent infection and to reduce reinoculation of infected trees. The severity of HLB ha...

Tamarixia radiata (Waterston, 1922) is the main parasitoid of Diaphorina citri (Kuwayama, 1907), and has been used in classical biological control programs in several countries. The current study investigated the biology and determined the fertility life table of T. radiata in different temperatures, to obtain information to support the establishment of a biological control program for D. citri...

The development of insecticide resistance in Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, populations is a serious threat to the citrus industry. As a contribution to a resistance management strategy, we developed a glass vial technique to monitor field populations of Asian citrus psyllid for insecticide resistance. Diagnostic concentrations needed to separate susceptible genotypes from res...