Efeito de plantas não hospedeiras associadas com a tangerineira Citrus reticulata na seleção hospedeira e sobrevivência de Diaphorina citri kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae)

Abstract

The Asian citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae) is an important pest in citrus growing worldwide, as it transmits the bacteria that cause huanglongbing (HLB). Tactics based on the exploitation of semiochemicals can assist in the integrated management of the vector, avoiding its colonization and establishment in orchards. Thus, the objective of this study was to evaluate whether the location of the 'Ponkan' Citrusreticulata mandarin by the psyllid is altered when associated with the volatiles of non-host plants Coffeaarabica, Perseaamericana and Passifloraedulis, and whether these species can temporarily house the psyllids. A wind tunnel test was adapted, in which the association with the avocado volatiles reduced the location of the mandarin tree by the psyllid. The volatiles of the passion fruit plant, in turn, facilitated the host location by the psyllid and those of the coffee plant did not influence the psyllid's behavior. Then, we tested whether the non-host plants could serve as a temporary shelter, which would facilitate the migration of the psyllid to the tangerine orchards, this was evaluated with a trial with no choice. The mortality behavior of avocado and passion fruit was the same, followed by coffee, which provided greater favorable conditions for the insect, but the mandarin was the best host, lethal times 50 (TL50) for psyllids were between 1.7 and 2.39 times longer in non-plants hosts when compared to psyllids provided with water only. The results showed that avocado plants, in addition to reducing the amount of insects when associated with mandarin, also allows the shortest survival time for the psyllid. However, studies must be carried out to characterize the volatile mixture of avocado plants to allow the selection of compounds that are potentially repellent, or that interfere negatively in the location of the host plant by the insect.