MYCOPATHOGENS AND THEIR EXOTOXINS INFECTING THE GLASSY-WINGED SHARPSHOOTER: SURVEY, EVALUATION, AND STORAGE

• Author(s): Boucias, Drion; III, Russell; Tipping, Christopher;
• Abstract: A species of Hirsutella, the primary pathogen of glassy-winged sharpshooter (GWSS) in the southeastern US, has been the major focus of our research this past year. Due to the fastidious growth requirements of this fungus and the presence of numerous saprobic fungi associated with mycosed GWSS, a major effort has been made to design a series of gene-specific primers to be used to detect these diseases in field collected samples. Molecular-based diagnosis is being used to examine the hundreds of mycosed insects collected during the 2003 and 2004 regional surveys. A second effort has been directed at examining the seasonal incidence of this disease in an experimental crape myrtle plot. A number of parameters such as crape myrtle variety, host density, and mist irrigation (humidity) have been found to influence the onset of Hirsutella in GWSS populations. Current laboratory research is being directed at examining transmission of the lab culture to both GWSS and to alternate insect hosts. In addition, culture filtrates of all of the fungi collected from GWSS are being assessed for the presence of active metabolites.
• Publication Date: Dec 2005
• Journal: 2005 Pierce's Disease Research Symposium