Research impact – an end-user perspective: Tomato potato psyllid and Liberibacter ecology

Plant Biosecurity CRC

From the 2016 Plant Biosecurity CRC Science Exchange: This talk explores the importance of incursion response tools from an end-user perspective, highlighted through a tomato potato psyllid and Candidatus Liberibacter case study. The tomato potato psyllid (TPP) is a tiny sap-sucking insect that feeds on tomato, potato, capsicum, chilli and nightshade plants and can transmit the devastating bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (CLso). CLso wreaks havoc on crops causing stunting, distorted and discoloured leaves and stem death. In 2010, TPP/CLso cost New Zealand NZ$50 M per annum in crop losses and NZ$12 M in agrichemicals. TPP has recently been found in Australia. Authors: Jessica Lye; Gabrielle Vivian-Smith; Jessica Dohmen-Vereijssen