Development of a pathogen dispenser to control Asian citrus psyllid in residential and organic citrus

Background The Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri, transmits Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus, the bacterium that is associated with citrus greening disease or huanglongbing (HLB) worldwide. Presently, there is no cure for HLB, and infected citrus trees gradually decline, become non-productive, and eventually die. ACP and HLB are serious threats to the citrus industries of Florida, Texas, and California. The detection of HLB in Texas and California has made prevention of its spread by ACP a high-priority issue. Validation tests of areawide management programs designed for Texas and Florida have shown that ACP can be effectively controlled on commercial citrus. These programs rely on insecticide sprays that target adult psyllid populations during the dormant winter season and prior to major flush cycles during the active growing season. Unfortunately, control measures for ACP in noncommercial citrus and organic groves lag behind insecticidebased strategies available to commercial groves. The citrus industries of Texas and California share a pressing problem with ACP spreading in urban neighborhoods near commercial citrus groves. In Florida, the industry is more concerned about ACP spreading in abandoned groves because much of their commercial citrus is relatively distant from residential areas. Many citrus varieties that are hosts to both ACP and HLB are planted as fruit trees in the yards of Texans and Californians. Because ACP also feeds and reproduces on a broad range of ornamental citrus relatives, such as ‘orange