Causes and effects of the occurrence of “Syndrome des basses richesses” in German sugar beet growing areas

Lång, Christian; Maier, Johann; Schrameyer, Klaus; Varrelmann, Mark; Voegele, Ralf T.; Pfitzer, René

doi:10.36961/si24263

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 22 publications

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“…Another possibility is that the habitat is already infested the stolbur phytoplasma. Candidatus Phytoplasma solani is also transmitted by H. obsoletus in potato [ 22 ]. In 2021, stolbur phytoplasma caused tremendous damage in south Hesse and the Palatinate by reducing the marketability of potato tubers (Michael Lenz, Regierungspräsidium Hessen, personal communication).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biology and Rearing of an Emerging Sugar Beet Pest: The Planthopper Pentastiridius leporinus

Behrmann

Witczak

Lång³

et al. 2022

Insects

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The rapid spread of the bacterial yellowing disease Syndrome des Basses Richesses (SBR) has a major impact on sugar beet (Beta vulgaris) cultivation in Germany, resulting in significant yield losses. SBR-causing bacteria are transmitted by insects, mainly the Cixiid planthopper Pentastiridius leporinus. However, little is known about the biology of this emerging vector, including its life cycle, oviposition, developmental stages, diapauses, and feeding behavior. Continuous mass rearing is required for the comprehensive analysis of this insect. Here we describe the development of mass rearing techniques for P. leporinus, allowing us to investigate life cycle and ecological traits, such as host plant choice, in order to design agronomic measures that can interrupt the life cycle of nymphs in the soil. We also conducted field studies in recently-infected regions of Rhineland-Palatinate and south Hesse, Germany, to study insect mobility patterns and abundance at four locations during two consecutive years. The soil-depth monitoring of nymphs revealed the movement of the instars through different soil layers. Finally, we determined the prevalence of SBR-causing bacteria by designing TaqMan probes specific for two bona fide SBR pathogens: Candidatus Arsenophonus phytopathogenicus (Gammaproteobacteria) and Candidatus Phytoplasma solani (stolbur phytoplasma). Our data suggest that P. leporinus is spreading northward and eastward in Germany, additionally, the abundance of SBR-carrying planthoppers is increasing. Interestingly, P. leporinus does not appear to hibernate during winter, and is polyphagous as a nymph. Stolbur phytoplasma has a significant impact on SBR pathology in sugar beet.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Biology and Rearing of an Emerging Sugar Beet Pest: The Planthopper Pentastiridius leporinus

Behrmann

Witczak

Lång³

et al. 2022

Insects

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Life history traits and a method for continuous mass rearing of the planthopper Pentastiridius leporinus, a vector of the causal agent of syndrome ‘basses richesses’ in sugar beet

Pfitzer¹,

Varrelmann²,

Schrameyer

et al. 2022

Pest Management Science

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BACKGROUND The planthopper Pentastiridius leporinus (Hemiptera: Cixiidae) is the main vector of the γ‐3 proteobacterium ‘Candidatus Arsenophonus phytopathogenicus’ which causes the syndrome ‘basses richesses’ (SBR) in sugar beet. SBR is a new and fast‐spreading disease in Central Europe that leads to high yield losses. To date, the development of management strategies has been hampered by insufficient knowledge about general life history traits of the planthopper and, most importantly, the year‐round availability of insects reared under controlled conditions. Rearing of P. leporinus has been considered challenging and to date no protocol exists. RESULTS Here we describe a method for mass rearing P. leporinus on sugar beet from egg to adult that has produced five generations and over 20 000 individuals between June 2020 and March 2022. An alternative host such as wheat is not necessary for completing the life cycle. No‐choice experiments showed that P. leporinus lays 139.1 ± 132.9 eggs on sugar beet, whereas no oviposition was observed on its nymphal host wheat. Head capsule width was identified as a trait that unequivocally distinguished the five nymphal instars. Developmental time from first instar to adult was 193.6 ± 35.8 days for males and 193.5 ± 59.2 days for females. Infection rates of adults were tested with a nested polymerase chain reaction. The results demonstrated that 70%–80% of reared planthoppers across all generations carried the SBR proteobacterium. CONCLUSION The mass‐rearing protocol and life history data will help overcome an important bottleneck in SBR research and enhance efforts in developing integrated pest management tools. © 2022 The Authors. Pest Management Science published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of Society of Chemical Industry.

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Effects of succession crops and soil tillage on suppressing the syndrome ‘basses richesses’ vector Pentastiridius leporinus in sugar beet

Pfitzer,

Rostás,

Häußermann

et al. 2024

Pest Management Science

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BACKGROUNDPentastiridius leporinus (Hemiptera: Cixiidae) is the most important vector of syndrome ‘basses richesses’ (SBR), a new disease that leads to severe economic losses in sugar beet. In this study, different soil tillage methods (ploughing and cultivator) and crops (winter wheat, spring wheat, maize and bare soil) following SBR‐infested sugar beet were tested as potential management options in field trials. In the laboratory, the survival and development of first and third instar nymphs on wheat and maize was studied to further assess their suitability as host plants.RESULTSIn five out of seven field sites, reduced soil tillage had no effect on adult planthopper emergence compared to ploughing. In two sites, reduced tillage resulted in higher emergence rates. In nearly all field sites, up to 98.9% fewer emerging adults were detected in bare soil and maize, when compared to winter wheat. Under laboratory conditions, the lowest survival rate was found in first instar nymphs feeding on maize seedlings (4.2%), while 66.7% survived on wheat, over a period of 300 days. In contrast, 73.3% and 70% of third instar nymphs survived on wheat and maize over a period of 150 days.CONCLUSIONSoil tillage had little effect against P. leporinus. Maize is a poor host for first instars but a suitable resource for third instar nymphs, the stage which encounters maize under field conditions. Hence, reductions in planthopper emergence in the field were likely caused by starvation due to the long host‐free period between sugar beet harvest and the sowing of maize.

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Causes and effects of the occurrence of “Syndrome des basses richesses” in German sugar beet growing areas

Cited by 3 publications

References 22 publications

Biology and Rearing of an Emerging Sugar Beet Pest: The Planthopper Pentastiridius leporinus

Biology and Rearing of an Emerging Sugar Beet Pest: The Planthopper Pentastiridius leporinus

Life history traits and a method for continuous mass rearing of the planthopper Pentastiridius leporinus, a vector of the causal agent of syndrome ‘basses richesses’ in sugar beet

Effects of succession crops and soil tillage on suppressing the syndrome ‘basses richesses’ vector Pentastiridius leporinus in sugar beet

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