The difference in transmission efficiency was correlated to differences in the expression of digestive proteases within the insect gut. Previously, the Hall lab showed that titers of the bacteria Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus in Asian citrus psyllids , the vectors of CLas associated with citrus greening disease, are lower when reared from Murraya paniculata than in psyllids reared on infected Citrus sinensis. To understand the biochemical basis of the difference in transmission efficiencies in the ACP, two sibling colonies of healthy ACP originating from the same population were simultaneously reared on healthy C. sinensis and healthy M. paniculata for three generations. Protein profiles of these sibling synchronized ACP colonies were analyzed via 2-D difference gel electrophoresis and high-resolution mass spectrometry and quantified. Data analysis is in progress. These complementary approaches will reveal differences in protein amounts as well as changes in post-translational modifications between insects adapted to the different host plants to gain insight into differences in their vectoring capacity. Our future plans include measuring proteins of interest in CLas-infected insects using targeted mass spectrometry, localizing these proteins to specific insect tissues using fluorescent in situ hybridization,maceta de 30 litros and testing for their function using RNA interference. Methods have been developed to attract male Asian citrus psyllids with microcontroller devices operating vibration sensors that detect male mating calls and piezoelectric buzzers that send out female‐mimic vibrations in reply. The devices are in early stages of field testing to monitor and/or trap psyllids walking and feeding in citrus tree canopies in experimental orchards at the University of Florida.

Preliminary studies indicate that the male call detection algorithm used by the microcontroller works well when wind and other background noise is low, but has difficulty in detecting calls when wind levels exceed 5‐10 miles per hour. Frequency filtering and correlation analyses are being tested as potential ways to increase the efficiency of call detection in low to moderate levels of background noise. Efforts also are in progress to decrease the power usage so that the traps can remain in the field longer between battery replacements, to improve discrimination of psyllid calls from background noise, and to store signals on SD memory cards for later recall and analysis. In addition, studies are in progress to develop methods of interfering with psyllid mating communication.Since its detection in southern Mexico in 2002, the Asian Citrus Psyllid Diaphorina citri Kuwayama, has dispersed rapidly to all citrus production areas in México. This insect vectors the most destructive citrus disease known as Huanglongbing or HLB, which is now present in 250 municipalities of 16 citrus production states in Mexico. Most damaged plants are found in commercial groves of Colima, Nayarit, Jalisco, Michoacan, and Sinaloa. In Sonora, ACP has been present since 2006, but HLB has not been detected up to now. A proactive action plan was implemented in the winter of 2010 in order to reduce the ACP population and risk of HLB introduction to Sonora. Actions include ACP and HLB monitoring, two area-wide insecticide applications; one in the dormant stage another in the fall . During the growing season, if monitoring indicates that an orchard is over the regional ACP population mean, it is considered as hot spot and recommended for control. Monitoring and control of ACP is also performed on rural and urban areas. Introduction of citrus or ACP host plants from other states to Sonora is prohibited and revision points are established for this action. We have a great participation of growers which have decided to support the strategic plan by a self-initiative of warranting the cost of one application for those that do not spray during the area-wide period of control.

Information is provided to housewives, gardeners, and general public through bulletins, pamphlets, newspapers, and radio and television programs. Three-year cumulative data obtained by tap sampling of all orchards in this region were statistically analyzed, and results indicate a significant reduction of ACP populations since 2010; the lower slope values through the years reflect the impact of the management actions on ACP populations.We present two field experiments where the densities of the Asian citrus psyllid were compared depending: on the presence or absence of windbreak and if the groves consisted of a solid set of plantings or a grove with a mixture of mature and reset trees. Psyllid abundance was measured on the edges of five groves. The factor investigated was the presence or absence of a windbreak. For the five groves, we observed significantly fewer psyllids on the edges of groves with windbreaks as compared to those without windbreaks. We found no significant difference in the number of natural enemies between the edges with or without windbreaks, suggesting that windbreaks do not affect densities of psyllid natural enemies. During two consecutive years, we compared the densities of psyllids on reset trees planted in a solid set plantings versus the densities of psyllids on resets present within mature groves. This was conducted in four groves and among three citrus varieties. More psyllids were found in the solid set plantings as compared to the resets within mature groves. The continuing impact of HLB on citrus production globally in infected regions, and the potential impact in as yet uninfected ones, has highlighted the need for epidemiologists to consider social factors when predicting the risks of new infections and potential responses when infection is confirmed in new areas. We discuss several issues where socio-economic considerations are already important, or are likely to become so, in current efforts to manage HLB in US citrus production and efforts to develop novel methods of disease management.

Before the arrival of an exotic, invasive disease such as HLB, an emphasis is given to risk assessment, prediction of initial sites of entry, and effective surveillance. In each of these activities, traditional epidemiological analyses have much to offer; but, in studying the spread of HLB and other high profile plant diseases, it has become apparent that social factors such as transport between immigrant populations and their traditional population centers, overall volume of human traffic into a region, among others,maceta plastico cuadrada can be indicators of high risk of disease arrival and have useful predictive value for locating early infections. Similar social factors, and a range of indicators of economic activity and transport intensity, all help to define the risk of disease spread within an area; essentially by accounting for the capacity of human activity to vector the disease. When combined with traditional epidemiological analyses, inclusion of these factors in models of HLB risk accounts for a high proportion of the explainable variation and allows the design of efficient survey plans for the disease. After arrival of HLB/ACP in a citrus production region, the need is obvious for technologies and practices which suppress the vector population and circumvent or mitigate the impacts of the disease on production. Experiences in the US suggest two particular groups of socio-economic factors are important in determining the success of these efforts. Within the first group are factors which determine the capacity for growers to cooperate in area-wide vector population management. We discuss lessons which can be learned from the experience of establishing Citrus Health Management Areas in Florida in response to the rapid spread of HLB, and ongoing efforts in California to establish a comparable system for coordinating vector suppression in advance of HLB being found in commercial citrus. The second group of factors determines grower and public attitudes to genetic modification. Various GM approaches to improve management of ACP or mitigate the effects of HLB on citrus production are being investigated. If the sustainability of citrus production is dependent on use of genetic modification to overcome the threat posed by HLB, the social acceptability of such technology, both to growers and to the public in domestic and international markets, will be vital in determining the potential for use of the technology. We discuss the prospects for use of GM solutions in light of evidence from other crops and the known epidemiology of HLB.Huanglongbing is difficult to control because the primary infections by infective immigrant Asian citrus psyllid are not totally prevented by rigorous vector control and removal of HLBsymptomatic trees only within the grove. This study was conducted in a 400-ha sweet orange grove planted in 2007 in northeastern São Paulo state, Brazil, surrounded by coffee farms.

Even with six annual inspections to remove HLB-symptomatic trees and fortnightly insecticide sprays, the disease incidence increased from 0.2% in 2011 to 1.0% in 2012, and 1.1% in the first 5 months of 2013. Changes in internal HLB management after that time included increased training of personnel for ACP monitoring, repositioning of yellow sticky traps at the grove edges, and reducing spray volume to allow for 10-day spray frequency. External to the grove, inoculum assessment and actions on neighboring properties with citrus and Murraya trees were initiated. Twenty-six non-commercial sites with 1,261 HLB-affected trees were discovered within a 10-km radius from the grove. Seven hundred and sixty-one trees were eradicated after negotiation, including replacing the citrus with other fruit trees, monthly supply of orange or other services provided by the grove owner. ACP monitoring and insecticide sprays were started with the neighbors’ permission where tree eradication was not permitted. Tamarixia radiata was released during vegetative flushes in sites far from the grove or in residential areas. The result of this inoculum management program was initially observed in the second semester of 2013, when removal of HLB-symptomatic trees was 46% lower than during the same period in 2012. As of July 2014, the disease incidence was 0.4% compared to 1.3% in 2013 and 0.5% in 2012. This study confirms the importance of non-commercial HLB-infected trees without ACP control in promoting HLB epidemics in commercial citrus groves and how efficacious removal of neighboring trees or at least controlling the ACP on those trees is for prevention of new primary infections in citrus commercial groves. Citrus trees infected with Huanglongbing , associated with infection by Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus , typically have no visible symptoms for the first months of infection, making it difficult to distinguish between healthy and infected citrus trees during this time. Previous attempts at early detection used real-time, quantitative PCR for amplification and detection of CLas 16s rDNA, but the success of this approach depends on the presence of a sufficiently high titer of CLas in the host tissue sampled. Measuring systemic changes in plant proteins in response to HLB offers an opportunity for early detection of HLB infection that does not rely on localized detection of the pathogen. Using tandem mass tag labeling and high resolution mass spectrometry, we constructed proteomic profiles of HLB-positive Lisbon Lemon over the first several months of infection. At the UC Davis Contained Research Facility, Lisbon Lemon trees were grafted with HLB-positive or healthy tissue, and leaf samples were collected at time of grafting and every 2 weeks thereafter. Extracted protein samples were multiplexed using TMT labeling for high-throughput analysis, and then analyzed by high-resolution mass spectrometry. Proteins differentially expressed between control and infected samples were identified at each time point. A drastic change in protein response between control and infected lemon trees was measured at week 10 post-inoculation, although changes could be detected as early as 2 weeks post-inoculation. Samples from the same set of trees were analyzed by RNAseq to generate an annotated database of expressed genes and predicted proteins to facilitate analysis of proteomic data. These complementary methods will provide insight into the correlation of transcripts and protein changes over time. Ultimately, HLB early detection data generated using the TMT strategy will be useful for data mining and machine learning, which may further improve early detection efforts in field collected samples.The species distribution model MaxEnt was used to predict the global and local potential distribution of HLB. This model needs the present distribution of a ‘species’ and long-term climate data to make predictions for new areas. The current global distribution of HLB was gleaned from online databases, literature review, and personal communications with experts. The long-term climate data which included 19 bio-climatic variables were sourced from the CliMond website. Preliminary results showed that the model successfully predicted Florida as highly suitable for HLB establishment, although we did not use HLB occurrence in Florida. This finding is in agreement with the rapid spread and current distribution of HLB in this region.