Disrupting the vibrational mating behavior of the Diaphorina citri

Florida is known for its citrus industry, which is under threat by Huanglongbing (HLB), commonly known as citrus greening disease. HLB is caused by a bacterium transmitted by the Asian citrus psyllid Diaphorina citri (ACP), and has caused over $4.5 billion in damage to Floridian citrus in the past 8 years.

D. citri use vibrational communication to locate partners of the opposite sex and reproduce. Male ACP transmit calls through the plant, felt by the female D. citri, who calls back. A duet of call-and-response buzzes ensues, which the male uses to search the plant for a mate. We believe that a synthetic female D. citri can be created that mimics this mating behavior and disrupts mating prospects between male and female ACP.

We have electronically reconstructed recorded female D. citri calls to create a synthetic female call that attracts male ACP. This user-controlled artificial call is emitted through a piezo connected to the test plant and an Arduino microprocessor board. Male ACP, searching for the most attractive mate, choose the synthetic call over a live female, provided the environment is in ideal conditions. This process effectively disrupts natural mating behavior and leads male ACP to location of the piezo.

By manipulating the D. citri mating call to our advantage, we can reduce populations and prevent further generations from accumulating in citrus groves. We aim to permanently remove these insects from the trees they feed upon and prevent the collapse of a $9 billion industry if successful.