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which have provided
interesting insights into the
breadth of plant species on
which TPP can complete at
least one generation.
They discovered that the
international literature, mainly
from the United States in
the early to mid-1900s, is
overwhelmed with references
of TPP hosts from 20
different plant families.
These are often merely plants
on which only adult TPP have
been found, so do not qualify
as true host plants.
“Our project narrowed
down the list of families by
classifying plants into five
host plant categories, based
on the evidence provided in
the literature and our own
experiences in New Zealand,”
Dr Dohmen-Vereijssen said.
“We also found some TPP
life stages on Solanaceous
plant species which were
not mentioned in literature
before, detected CLso in wild
collected thorn-apple (
Datura
stramonium
) and Jerusalem
K
nowledge about the exact
host plant range of Tomato
potato psyllid (TPP;
Bactericera cockerelli
) is
critical to improving targeted
pest and disease management
strategies and surveillance
techniques for biosecurity
agencies, as well as industry
and growers. This is the aim of
a Plant Biosecurity Cooperative
Research Centre project in
partnership with Plant and Food
Research in New Zealand and
the Victorian Department of
Economic Development, Jobs,
Transport and Resources.
The knowledge from this
research will improve Australia’s
preparedness through more
targeted surveillance and
potential response strategies if
TPP arrives, which is a highly
likely situation.
The project is being led by
Dr Jessica Dohmen-Vereijssen
from Plant and Food Research.
“In the past, most attention
was paid to the feeding and
breeding activity of TPP on
solanaceous crop hosts,
TO HELP THE AUSTRALIAN POTATO INDUSTRY PREPARE FOR A POSSIBLE TOMATO-
POTATO PSYLLID INCURSION, A NEW RESEARCH PROJECT WILL AIM TO UNCOVER THE
RANGE OF PLANTS THAT COULD PLAY HOST TO THE PEST, APART FROM SOLANACEAE.
Range of TPP host plants
sparks further research
including potatoes, tomatoes,
eggplant, capsicum and chilli,”
Dr Dohmen-Vereijssen said.
“However, the population
dynamics of TPP seem to
be more complicated than
first thought now that non-
crop hosts, for example
African boxthorn (
Lycium
ferocissimum
), poroporo
(
Solanum laciniatum
)
and Jerusalem cherry (
S.
pseudocapsicum
), have
been indicated as sources
for psyllid survival between
cropping seasons.
“More importantly, these hosts
could also serve as reservoirs
for the bacterium
Candidatus
Liberibacter solanacearum
(CLso) that the psyllid
vectors, with major impacts
on the yield and commercial
viability of horticultural crops
such as potatoes.”
Researchers have been
conducting a literature review
and host plant field surveys
cherry (
S. pseudocapsicum
)
outside of the cropping season,
and found that all TPP life
stages are present on, for
example, African boxthorn
throughout the year in Hawke’s
Bay and Canterbury.
“Our results show that the
majority of true host plant
species were in the family
Solanaceae and some in the
family Convolvulaceae.”
Both Australia and New
Zealand have a wide diversity
of Solanaceae, which includes
plants with indigenous cultural
uses. The family contains
102 genera and nearly 2,500
species, of which approximately
70 occur in New Zealand and
206 in Australia.
Convolvulaceae are commonly
known as the bindweed or
morning glory family which is a
family of about 60 genera and
more than 1,650 species of
mostly herbaceous vines, but
also trees, shrubs and herbs,
International update
Looking for Tomato-potato psyllid.