Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata (2012) 143, 103-110

Xavier Martini, Shawn Seibert, Sean M. Prager and Christian Nansen (2012)
Sampling and interpretation of psyllid nymph counts in potatoes
Entomologia Experimentalis et Applicata 143 (2), 103-110
Abstract: Development of effective management practices for insect pests relies heavily on sampling methods to accurately detect and quantify emerging populations. Herein we describe a novel method to extract and count nymphs of potato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli (Šulc) (Hemiptera: Triozidae), from leaves in commercial fields of potato, Solanum tuberosum L. (Solanaceae). The proposed sampling method (referred to as the leaf washing method, LWM) consists of: (1) immersing samples of infested leaves in cold water to remove dust and sand; (2) immersing leaves in >85 °C water for 5 s; (3) extracting psyllid nymphs from heated water by passing it through a sampling unit composed of a funnel with a fine mesh-organza fabric inside and attached to a vacuum pump; and (4) removing organza fabric and count psyllid nymphs under a stereoscope. With five sampling units operating simultaneously, one person is able to process and count immatures from about 400 leaf samples in two normal work days. As examples of applications, the LWM was used to characterize: (1) the vertical distribution of potato psyllid nymphs in the potato canopy; and (2) the spatio-temporal distribution of potato psyllid nymphs in three potato varieties. Using LWM, we showed that psyllid nymphs were most predominant in the middle portion of the canopy and that spatio-temporal distributions of nymphs varied among potato varieties.
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Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Xavier Martini, Christian Nansen, Sean M. Prager

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
surveys/sampling/distribution

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Bactericera cockerelli	Potato (Solanum tuberosum)	U.S.A. (mid S)