PRESENCE OF PANTOEA SPP. IN LEAF-GALLING PHYLLOXERA

Pantoea agglomerans was discovered previously in conjunction with leaf-galling forms of the grape phylloxera (Daktulosphaira vitifoliae Fitch) although maternal transmission of the bacteria could be excluded in further research.
As different studies report that P. agglomerans is involved in varying metabolomic pathways of several insects we assume some relevance of the bacterium for phylloxera.
In our study we aim to clarify if P. agglomerans is obligatory associated with leaf-galling phylloxera sucking on leaf-forming rootstocks and further to verify whether Pantoea spp. appears inside leaf-galling phylloxera or on their integument’s surface.
Five phylloxera populations from Europe (east Austria, southeast France, northeast France, north Italy and northeast Spain) were randomly screened for any infection with P. agglomerans applying a nested Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) technique and additionally examined for bacteria growth on tryptic soy agar (TSA) plates.
Our results reveal that the bacterium is not always associated with leaf-galling phylloxera feeding on leaf-forming rootstocks and that it does not occur inside the aphid.

V International Phylloxera Symposium

N.C. Lawo, A. Forneck

Daktulosphaira vitifoliae, associated bacterium, transmission, TSA plate, nested PCR

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2011.904.9