Pacific Pest WPDNWestern Plant Diagnostic Network Detector News NationalNPDN Plant Diagnostic Network A Quarterly Newsletter for First Detectors Jun–Aug 2012—No. 10 In This Issue Pests in Brief Update on the Yellow Dragon Disease Pests in Brief………………… 1 On 30 March 2012, huanglongbing (HLB), or citrus greening, was Yellow Dragon in California… 2 officially reported in Los Angeles County. This Red Palm Mite………………… 3 is the first report of the disease in California. The bacterium that causes the disease was found in tis- Pepper Mottle Virus………… 5 Image by Dan Culbert sues of the citrus tree and in the body of an Asian Pests of Concern……………… 6 citrus psyllid, the insect that carries the disease. State and federal officials and California’s citrus growers have been preparing for this Websites……………………… 7 since 2008, when the psyllid was first detected there. Be alert for symptoms of citrus greening in your area. Read the article on page 2, visit the links at the Pacific Pest Detector News bottom of the page, and contact your local extension Number 10, June 2012 agent, college, or Department of Agriculture if you see symptoms on citrus that resemble citrus greening. Issues of PPDNews available at https://www.wpdn.org/ppd_newsletter_archive Guam: New Thrips on Banana A species of thrips (Dinurothrips hookeri), common in the Carib- Editor: Fred Brooks bean area, was recently found in Associate Editors Guam. Its feeding was causing a silvering of banana leaves (pho- Barry Brennan (HI) to), but it reportedly has a wide Thomas Marler (GU) host range. This range includes tomato, eggplant, sweet potato, Mark Schmaedick (AS) and some plants in the sunflower Contact us directly at: family. The collected specimens Courtesy of Aubrey Moore [email protected] were less than 2 mm in length. Citrus Greening is Getting Closer Huanglongbing Found in California On 29 March 2012, the Ani- mal and Plant Health Inspec- tion Service (APHIS) con- firmed the presence of citrus greening. or huanglongbing (HLB), in California. The bacteria that cause citrus greening were found in the tissue of a lemon/pummelo Florida Dept. of Ag., Bugwood.org tree and also in the body of Photo by J. Lotz, Florida Dept. of Ag., Bugwood.org Photo by Div. Plant Ind., Florida Dept. of Ag., Bugwood Ag., of Dept. Florida Ind., Plant Div. by Photo ADULT EGGS Courtesy David Hall, USDA ARS, USDA Bugwood EGGS Huanglongbing means “yellow dragon” in Chinese. Leaves are mottled or yellow, branches die NYMPH back, and trees decline and die. Fruits, are misshap- en, bitter, and ripen at the stalk-end first. Courtesy J.W. Lotz, Florida DoACS Courtesy J.W. Lotz, Florida DoACS The Asian citrus psyllid is the main carrier of HLB. It is a very small (3–4 mm), active, jumping insect, with brown mottled wings. The eggs are bright yellow, the nymph green to dull orange. Courtesy Forest & Kom Starr Hosts of citrus greening (HLB) include most The Asian citrus psyllid is recorded as present in Ameri- citrus species. Mock orange (Murraya panicu- can Samoa, Guam, and Hawaii. The citrus greening lata) and limeberry (Triphasia trifolia) can get bacterium has not been reported. the disease but do not show symptoms. Other sources: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBl1tlDAi3M http://anrcatalog.ucdavis.edu/pdf/8218.pdf http://www.californiacitrusthreat.com/huanglongbing-citrus-greening.php Who to contact: Diagnostic Clinics and Diagnosticians—see Page 7 2 NOT WANTED Red Palm Mite (Raoiella indica) A DAMAGING PEST OF PALMS AND BANANAS A B 0.05 mm 0.05 mm Courtesy of S. Jiminez, USDA Courtesy of S. Jimiinez, USDA C D 0.2 mm 0.04 mm Courtesy of R.F. Duncan, U. Florida TREC Courtesy of USDA Agricultural Research Service (A–B) Adult female mites have 4 pairs of legs and are bright red with black patches on their backs. Live mites have long hairs with a drop of liquid at the tips. (C) Colonies are on the undersides of leaves, often along the midrib; smaller, trangular-shaped males attach to the rear of females to mate (arrows). (D) Scanning electron micrograph of a red palm mite with distinctive droplets on the hairs. Origin and Distribution: First reported in India (1924); spread to Pakistan, Iran, Egypt, Sudan, Israel, and the Caribbean (2004), Puerto Rico (2006), Venezuela (2007), and Florida (2007). The mites can be carried by tropical storms or hurricanes, but are more often spread on plant material and handicrafts. Description: Females average 0.25 mm (0.01 in) long, 0.18 mm (0.007 in) wide, are oval, flat, and often have black patches on their backs; males are smaller, triangular. Life cycle (egg to adult, female) 23 to 28 days; Eggs 0.1 mm (0.004 in) long, 0.08 mm (0.003 in) wide, attached by a strip to leaves; larvae 3 pairs of legs, adults 4 pairs. Who to contact: Diagnostic Clinics and Diagnosticians—see Page 7 3 A B Courtesy of J.F. Pena, U. of Florida TREC Courtesy of J.F. Pena, U. of Florida TREC C D Courtesy of J.F. Pena, U. of Florida TREC Courtesy of J.F. Pena, U. of Florida TREC A) Yellow spots and blotches on the upper surface of palm leaflets. (B) Early damage (bronzing) to the central portion of the palm leaf is common. (C) Severe damage to lower and middle leaves of palms on a Caribbean island. (D) Red palm mite damage on banana. Red palm mite damage may look like a nutri- ent deficiency, or even lethal yellowing of palms (see Newsletter No. 3, Sept. 2010). Impact: Large populations can cause severe leaf yellowing, reduced tree vigor and appearance, and lead to tree death. Coconut production decreases and landscape and nursery industries are severely affected. Host Range: Consider all palms susceptible; also reported on banana and plantain (Musa spp.), ginger (Alpinia spp., Etlingera elatior), bird-of-paradise (Strelitzia reginae), heliconia (Heliconia spp.), and screw pine (Pandanus spp.). Note: red palm mites may maintain viable colonies only on palm spcies. Likely Locations: Consider all palm species as potential hosts. Be aware of 1) nurseries importing known hosts from areas where the mite is present, 2) people returning from those areas with handi- crafts, or 3) people who import and sell potentially infested articles made from palm leaves. For More Information 1) Florida Pest Alert http://www.freshfromflorida.com/pi/pest-alerts/raoiella-indica.html 2) Featured Creatures http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/orn/palms/red_palm_mite.htm 3) USDA ID Guide http://www.sel.barc.usda.gov/acari/PDF/indicaGuide.pdf Who to contact: Diagnostic Clinics and Diagnosticians—see Page 7 4 NOT WANTED Pepper mottle virus (Potyviridae) A PATHOGEN OF PEPPER NOW ATTACKING TOMATOES IN HAWAII Courtesy of Photos courtesy of Mike Melzer Photo courtesy of Mike Melzer Photo courtesy of Jari Sugano Origin and Distribution: First record of Pepper mottle virus (PepMoV) from Arizona in 1969, then Florida, Texas, New Mexico, California, Central America, and Japan. PepMoV naturally infecting to- mato was first reported from Guatemala (2000), then South Korea (2008), and now Hawaii. The Hawaii report is the first in the U.S. on tomato. PepMoV is spread by several species of aphids. Impact: fruit ripens unevenly, is misshapen and unmarketable. Host Range: peppers (Capsicum annuum), tobasco pepper (C. frutescens), tomato (Solanum lycopersi- cum), tobacco (Nicotiana spp.), nightshade (Solanum sp.), angel’s trumpets (Datura spp.) Symptoms on Tomato: In Hawaii: misshapen fruit; uneven ripening; yellowish rings, spots or blotches on fruit; and possibly purple streaking of stem (see arrow in photo). In Guatemala: necrotic lesions and chlorosis on leaves, necrotic streaks on stems, and large superficial necrotic lesions on fruit. Other sources: First report of PepMoV in tomato Pepper Mottle Virus Fact Sheet PepMoV Wikipedia Who to contact: Diagnostic Clinics and Diagnosticians—see Page 7 5 Pests of Concern ARTHROPODS Africanized honey bee (Apis mellifera scutellata) http://www.invasivespeciesinfo.gov/animals/afrhonbee.shtml Asian citrus psyllid (Diaphorina citri) http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/pi/ppc/npa-1/npa06-01-ACP.pdf coconut rhinoceros beetle (Oryctes rhinoceros) http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/adap/ASCC_LandGrant/Dr_Brooks/ BrochureNo8.pdf little fire ant (Wasmannia auropunctata) http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/pi/ppc/npa-1/npa99-02-lfireant.pdf naio thrips (Klambothrips myopori) http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/pi/ppc/projects/Naio_Thrips red imported fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) http://entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/urban/ants/red_imported_fire_ant.htm red palm weevil (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus) http://www.aphis.usda.gov/import_export/plants/manuals/emergen- cy/downloads/nprg-redpalmweevil.pdf silverleaf whitefly (Bemisia argentifolii) http://www.entnemdept.ufl.edu/creatures/veg/leaf/silverleaf_whitefly.htm varroa mite (Varroa destructor) http://hawaii.gov/hdoa/pi/ppc/npa-1/npa07-01-Varroa.pdf DISEASES banana Xanthomonas wilt (X. c. pv. musacearum) http://apsjournals.apsnet.org/doi/pdf/10.1094/PDIS-93-5-0440 citrus canker (Xanthomonas axonopodis) http://www.apsnet.org/publications/imageresources/Pages/IW00011a.aspx citrus greening (Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus)http://www.crec.ifas.ufl.edu/extension/greening/index.shtml coffee rust (Hemileia vastatrix) http://www.apsnet.org/edcenter/intropp/lessons/fungi/Basidiomycetes/Pages/Coffee- Rust.aspx downy mildews of corn http://maizedoctor.cimmyt.org/index.php?id=233&option=com_content&task=view guava rust (Puccinia psidii) http://www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/PD-38.pdf iris yellow spot virus http://aces.nmsu.edu/pubs/_h/H-255.pdf lethal yellowing of palm (Candidatus Phytoplasma palmae) http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pp146