Comparison of potato psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli) populations from North America and Central America

Zebra Chip is a disease that causes damages to potato crops, mainly from North America and Central America. The disease is caused by Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum and is transmitted to plants by the potato psyllid (Bactericera cockerelli), a serious pest of solanaceous crops. While the potato psyllid is native to the United States and northern Mexico, the pathogen has not always been found in all areas where the potato psyllid persists. Rather, the disease range has expanded north and south from Southern Texas and Northern Mexico over the past ten years. In this study, the complete mitochondrial genome for the potato psyllid will be sequenced and different potato pyllids populations from North America: Texas, Nebraska, California, Washington, northwest and southwest region, as well as from Central America will be compared by analyzing their mitochondrial genome.