Kaolin particle films disrupt landing, settling behavior and feeding of Trioza erytrae on lemon plants

BACKGROUND The citrus greening disease or Huanglongbing (HLB) is the most devastating disease of citrus crops. Trioza erytreae is a vector of HLB. Since its introduction in Europe, the insect reached the northern region of Spain and the southern region of Portugal, threatening relevant citrus production areas. Limiting the spread of HLB vectors is mandatory to prevent this disease. In this work, we assessed the effect of kaolin, a white mineral clay, on the landing, settling behavior and feeding behavior of Trioza erytreae on lemon plants. RESULTS After kaolin application, the number of plants on which the insect was found was significantly lower than on untreated plants in the laboratory and in the field. Moreover, there were significantly fewer T. erytreae and a shorter duration of phloem-related events on kaolin-treated than untreated plants. CONCLUSION The use of kaolin could be a suitable and efficient tool for inclusion into integrated pest management programs or organic production to reduce populations of T. erytreae and subsequently limit the spread of HLB in citrus crops. (c) 2022 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry