Cacopsylla pruni is a vector of European stone fruit yellows phytoplasma
European stone fruit yellows phytoplasma (ESFY - quarantine status under review) is thought to be the causal agent of several stone fruit disorders (plum leptonecrosis, decline of European plum, apricot chlorotic leafroll, cherry Molière disease, and other yellows or decline of stone fruits). In several areas of north-eastern Italy, ESFY has caused problems on plums (and particularly on Japanese plums Prunus salicina) where 50-70% of the trees became infected within the first three or four years of planting. So far the natural vectors of ESFY remained unknown. ESFY is closely related to apple proliferation and pear decline phytoplasmas (both EPPO A2 quarantine pests), and pear decline is known to be transmitted by at least two species of Cacopsylla (C. pyri and C. pyrisuga). Transmission studies were carried out in Italy on the possible role of Cacopsylla pruni which was found to be the most common psyllid species in plum orchards in the infested area studied. It was demonstrated that both nymphs and adults of C. pruni (caught in the field or raised in the laboratory on infected plants) are able to transmit ESFY to P. salicina cv. Ozark Premier. C. pruni is oliphagous on Prunus, it overwinters on wild plants such as conifers and has a single generation per year. The authors stressed that further investigations are needed on the main transmission parameters of ESFY and on the life cycle of the vector.
Sources
Carraro, L.; Osler, R.; Loi, N.; Ermacora, P.; Refatti, E. (1998) Transmission of European stone fruit yellows phytoplasma by Cacopsylla pruni.
Journal of Plant Pathology, 80(3), 233-239.