KEYS TO MANAGEMENT OF THE GLASSY-WINGED SHARPSHOOTER: INTERACTIONS BETWEEN HOST PLANTS, MALNUTRITION, AND NATURAL ENEMIES

• Author(s): Andersen, Peter; Mizell, Russell;
• Abstract: Our previous work has shown that glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS) eggs and nymphs face two primary mortality agents: egg parasitism and malnutrition. Female GWSS chose the host plants for oviposition and consequently the habitat that exposes the eggs to parasitism and also the potential host plant nutrition immediately available to the nymphs. We have developed a conceptual model of these behaviors, choices and tradeoffs facing female GWSS and are interested in the behaviors and cues used by GWSS in making these choices. The effects of host plant assemblages and host plant chemistry on the distribution, performance and behavior of GWSS and its natural enemies are keys to understanding the system. Categorizing host species as to their importance to GWSS life stages is necessary to direct any plant manipulations aimed at population suppression or manipulation. Research in this proposal addressed several aspects of these interactions
• Publication Date: Aug 2003
• Journal: 2003 Pierce's Disease Research Symposium