DUEE, Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, ENEA Casaccia Research Centre, via Anguillarese 301, 00123, Rome, Italy.
Department of Agriculture, Section of Plant Pathology and Entomology, University of Sassari, via De Nicola 9, 07100, Sassari, Italy.
Environ Sci Pollut Res Int. 2019 Mar;26(7):6503-6516. doi: 10.1007/s11356-018-3870-5. Epub 2019 Jan 9.
The meadow froghopper, Philaenus spumarius L., is endemic in Italy and was not considered a harmful species until 2014, when the olive quick decline syndrome (OQDS) showed up in Apulia (southern Italy). It was immediately suspected and then verified as the main vector of Xylella fastidiosa, the bacterium responsible for the disease. Currently, EU Directives consider the fight against P. spumarius compulsory in member states and recommend Integrated Pest Management (IPM), both in uncultivated and cultivated infested areas, to minimise the environmental impact of chemical pesticides. This should be based on an improved knowledge of the vector with its seasonal trends and feeding habits linked to specific herbaceous species. In this context, our field study was aimed to improve the understanding of the vector nutritional behaviour, especially at its critical nymph stage, by monitoring its presence on different herbaceous target species, using its typical feeding foams as key indicator. The study area was in Lazio region (central Italy), dedicated to olive growing and still unaffected by the X. fastidiosa plague. Over two years, during the nymph development period, field data have been acquired over the test area and then analysed by coupling statistical (ANOVA), geographical information system (GIS) and geo-referenced field sampling approaches. Results highlighted that P. spumarius exhibits significant preferences for specific herbaceous plants, especially at its early development stages, detectable by tenuous spittle. This indicates female oviposition activity, which seems also not influenced by olive tree proximity. Furthermore, the non-host plant species identified here could be suitable for creating green barriers for limiting the vector diffusion to contiguous areas where sensible plantations are growing. In the final section, applied implications arising from the present findings for P. spumarius population management are discussed.
草地沫蝉，Philaenus spumarius L.，是意大利特有的物种，直到 2014 年，当橄榄快速衰退综合征（OQDS）出现在普利亚（意大利南部）时，它才被认为是一种有害物种。它立即被怀疑，并随后被证实是携带 Xylella fastidiosa 的主要媒介，这种细菌是导致该病的原因。目前，欧盟指令要求成员国强制防治 P. spumarius，并建议在未开垦和受感染的地区采用综合虫害管理（IPM），以尽量减少化学农药对环境的影响。这应该基于对该媒介及其与特定草本物种相关的季节性趋势和取食习惯的更好了解。在这种情况下，我们的实地研究旨在通过监测其在不同草本目标物种上的存在，利用其典型的取食泡沫作为关键指标，来提高对该媒介营养行为的认识，特别是在其关键的若虫阶段。研究区域位于拉齐奥地区（意大利中部），专门用于种植橄榄，尚未受到 X. fastidiosa 瘟疫的影响。在两年的时间里，在若虫发育期间，在试验区获得了实地数据，然后通过结合统计分析（ANOVA）、地理信息系统（GIS）和地理参考实地采样方法对数据进行了分析。结果表明，P. spumarius 对特定的草本植物表现出明显的偏好，尤其是在其早期发育阶段，可以通过稀薄的唾液检测到。这表明雌性产卵活动似乎也不受橄榄树接近的影响。此外，这里确定的非寄主植物物种可能适合用于创建绿色障碍，以限制媒介向相邻地区的扩散，这些地区种植着敏感的植物。在最后一节中，讨论了从本研究中得出的关于 P. spumarius 种群管理的应用意义。
