Glassy-winged Sharpshooter, Homalodisca coagulata (Say),
(Homoptera: Cicadellidae)
Citrus Entomology
Home
Background
Information: The
glassy-winged sharpshooter does not do
significant direct damage to the leaves or fruit of citrus unless populations
are very high (thousands per tree). Glassy-winged sharpshooter is easily
reduced below this level with various insecticides. However, citrus does
act as an excellent host for glassy-winged sharpshooter adults that fly into nearby grapes.
As the sharpshooters move around and feed
in the grapes they can transmit a bacterium called Xylella fastidiosa that causes Pierce's
disease. This is a devastating disease for the grape growers because their
is no cure. There is a closely related citrus disease called CVC (Citrus variegated
chlorosis) found in Brazil that is transmitted by
sharpshooters, but we do not currently have that disease in California. If
this disease were to arrive in California, the sharpshooter would become a
deadly pest of citrus. Citrus growers are being asked to:
1) apply in-season insecticide treatments to reduce glassy-winged sharpshooters
in citrus and so help to reduce the spread of Pierce's Disease in grapes
and
2) to eliminate
sharpshooter adults from citrus trees just prior to harvest in order to avoid
moving the sharpshooter into un-infested areas of the State of California.
California Citrus Industry Guide to Glassy-winged
Sharpshooter and Related Bacterial Diseases
The Citrus Research Board Glassy-winged sharpshooter Task Force
put together a guide to help citrus growers, packers, nurserymen, and field workers
learn how to reduce sharpshooters and avoid moving sharpshooters around the San Joaquin
Valley. If you are interested in obtaining a copy of this guide, you can
download it from the internet and print it out on a printer or you can order a
printed copy from the Citrus Research Board, P.O. Box 230 Visalia, CA 93279,
559-738-0246, Email: CitrusRB@aol.com.
Download
the Glassy-winged Sharpshooter Citrus Industry Guide here.
You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to open the document.
Additional
Handouts and Resources: