Pest Management Science (2022) 78, 2838-2850

Jinyu Li, Longqing Shi, Liette Vasseur, Qian Zhao, Jie Chen, Minsheng You and Shijun You (2022)
Genetic analyses reveal regional structure and demographic expansion of the predominant tea pest Empoasca onukii (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae) in China
Pest Management Science 78 (7), 2838-2850
Abstract:
BACKGROUND
The tea green leafhopper, Empoasca onukii Matsuda, is the most destructive insect pest of tea plantations in East Asia. Despite its economic importance and previous studies on this species, it remains unclear as to how this small-sized pest can have such wide range.
RESULTS
By sequencing three mitochondrial genes and 17 microsatellite loci, we revealed the regional structure and demographic expansion of 59 E. onukii populations in China. Bayesian analysis of population genetic structure (BAPS) on microsatellites identified four genetic groups with spatial discontinuities, while analysis on mitochondrial genes inferred five nested and differentiated clusters. Both the Mantel test and the generalized linear model indicated a significant pattern of isolation by geographic distance in E. onukii populations. Based on the approximate Bayesian computation approach, E. onukii was found to have originated from southwestern China and expanded northward and eastward. While MIGRATE-N and Bayesian stochastic search variable selection (BSSVS) procedure in BEAST confirmed the possible eastward and northward dispersal from Yunnan, they also detected more gene flow from the derived populations in central and southeastern China.
CONCLUSION
Our results suggest that the current distribution and structure of E. onukii is complicatedly influenced by human activities of cultivation, wide dissemination of tea in ancient China as well as recent transportation of tea seedlings for establishing new tea plantations. Insights into genetic differentiation and demographic expansion patterns from this study provide an important basis for the development of area-wide management of the E. onukii populations.
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Link to article at publishers website
Database assignments for author(s): Liette Vasseur, Minsheng You

Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
population dynamics/ epidemiology

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Pest and/or beneficial records:

Beneficial	Pest/Disease/Weed	Crop/Product	Country	Quarant.
	Matsumurasca onukii	Tea (Camellia sinensis)	China (south)