Evaluation of systemic acquired resistance elicitors and insecticidal control of Asian citrus psyllid on incidence and severity of greening disease in citrus

Huanglongbing (HLB) or citrus greening is considered to be the most damaging disease in citrus groves worldwide. The causal agent in Florida is the bacterium Candidatus Liberibacter asiaticus vectored by the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP), Diaphorina citri. Management options are limited to insecticidal control and rouging of symptomatic trees dues to the combination of an efficient vector and the lack of effective bactericidal agents. The use of Systemic Acquired Resistance (SAR) elicitors to induce plant resistance or tolerance to the bacterium has been suggested as an alternative help to control this disease. However no evidence has been presented to quantify or qualify these statements. We evaluated the effects and interactions of salicylic acid derivatives and insecticidal control to determine their impact on ACP population density, HLB symptom expression and delectability of Liberibacter using PCR.