Assessing the response of the potato psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli) in response to various doses of electron beam irradiation

The potato psyllid, Bactericera cockerelli, is a major insect pest of solanaceous crops in western North America. Not only does the potato psyllid cause damage to plants from phloem feeding, it also transmits the plant pathogenic bacteria Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum (Lso) to several economically important crops including potatoes, tomatoes, and peppers. Both phloem feeding and Lso infection cause severe losses in crop yield and market value. One potential mechanism to manage the potato psyllid and Lso transmission is to use electron beam (eBeam) irradiation as a phytosanitary treatment before shipment of plant material. eBeam irradiation is a method of insect pest control and the effectiveness is measured by successful disruption of the pest’s development and reproduction. It was previously found that the most radio-tolerant life stage of potato psyllids is the adult. Therefore, this study aimed to determine an accurate phytosanitary dose to control adult potato psyllids. For this study, 120 female/male pairs of newly emerged adult psyllids were treated with eBeam irradiation at three doses each (100, 200, and 350 Gy) and compared to the control of 120 nonirradiated female/male pairs. Each pair was assessed for fecundity, egg hatch rate, and survival. The goal of this study was to assess an eBeam treatment dose that prevents psyllid reproduction. We determined the 350 Gy dose as the recommended treatment dose because it prevented egg hatching. Ultimately, this provides an eBeam dose for practical application to manage adult potato psyllids.