Potential Spread of Pierce’s Disease by Spotted Lanternfly

Written by

Phil Brannen

August 20, 2024

As most of you are aware, spotted lanternfly (SLF) will soon be in Georgia, and it is already being found throughout the Southeast and other regions. Recent research from Penn State has indicated that the SLF can also spread Pierce’s disease (PD), though the degree of spread is not known. See the link below for a submitted article that is under review. The potential of SLF as a vector of PD makes the introduction of SLF even more troublesome – not that it is not troublesome enough. This information is new and will need to be “fleshed out” a bit more, but we should at least start thinking about this.

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.13.607612v1

The article indicates that diseased plants are not preferred by the SLF, and in addition, nymphs do not do as well on PD-infected plants. Based on previous studies on peach and other plants, the issues with nymph feeding and development and even preference for healthy host is not a surprise. However, even low levels of transmission will be sufficient to cause problems. More research will be needed before the alarm bells are ringing. However, assuming that SLF, a relatively large insect, can feed on older, larger tissues, the vines will likely be more susceptible to infection; the bacteria will be deposited closer to the cordon and will likely make it into the trunk prior to pruning in other words. Though we do not know the impact for sure, I suspect that the introduction of SLF will increase PD wherever it is found. Therefore, management will be even more important, as the damage will not be related to just feeding issues. Stay tuned, and as always, contact your local county agent if you see the SLF or have any concerns relative this insect or other grape production issues.

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Phil Brannen

Phil Brannen is a Professor in the Plant Pathology Department at the University of Georgia. He attended the University of Georgia for his undergraduate degree in Plant Protection and Pest Management, where he also received an M.S. in Plant Pathology, followed by a Ph.D. in Plant Pathology from Auburn University. He has extensive experience with disease management programs in numerous cropping systems. He serves as the extension fruit pathologist for Georgia – conducting research and technology transfer for multiple fruit commodities. His efforts are directed towards developing IPM practices to solve disease issues and technology transfer of disease-management methods to commercial fruit producers. He also teaches the graduate level Field Pathology Course, the History of Plant Diseases and their Impact on Human Societies Course, team-teaches the IPM Course, coordinates the Viticulture and Enology in the Mediterranean Region Course (Cortona, Italy), and guest lectures in numerous other courses throughout the year.