More Lso-positive psyllids

This week we received traps from 46 of the 55 fields that we are monitoring. We captured a total of 10 psyllids across 4 fields. Three of the fields were in Canyon County and one was in Twin Falls County.

Total psyllid captures were similar to last week, and we continue to see relatively low numbers this season.

However, 12 of the 14 psyllids we captured last week were positive for Lso, the bacterium associated with zebra chip disease (ZC). In addition, one of the three psyllids from the previous week that was shipped late also tested positive. Thus, 15 of the 19 psyllids tested this season have been positive.

It is not unusual to see more Lso-positive psyllids early in the season, but this level of Lso is higher than we typically see. It is fortunate that psyllid numbers are quite low, but the high prevalence of Lso suggests that we should be vigilant. We strongly urge growers to have their IPM programs in place. More information on management can be found here: https://www.uidaho.edu/cals/potatoes/news/psyllid-management

Please visit the Idaho Pest Monitoring Dashboard, for graphical summaries of our psyllid captures and an archive of blog posts for this season: https://idahopestmonitoring.org/

To view the weekly data by site in the old spreadsheet format: https://tinyurl.com/potatopsyllid