Infected Grapevines Are Poor Hosts But Can Serve as Source of Pathogen Transmission for SLF

Abstract

The potential of the invasive spotted lanternfly (Lycorma delicatula White; SLF) to serve as vector of plant pathogens is especially a concern for grapevine growers, as SLF are known to invade and can heavily infest vineyards, where the insects may encounter grapevines with multiple diseases. In this study, we have found that, when given the choice, SLF preferentially fed on healthy vines and that, when forced, feeding on Pierce’s disease (PD)-infected vines had negative effects on nymph development. Upon transmission trials, most of the recipient vines showed scorching symptoms typical of PD and one of the recipient vines resulted positive by qPCR. Our study suggests that SLF could be a vector of PD, however further experiments are needed to determine if transmission would occur under field conditions.