02451naa a2200301 a 450000100080000000500110000800800410001902400560006010000180011624501310013426000090026552015450027465000090181965000190182865000260184765000160187365000100188965000200189965000100191965000130192965300260194265300250196865300290199370000200202270000160204270000200205877300710207821161782019-12-06       2018    bl uuuu     u00u1 u    #d7 ahttps://doi.org/10.5958/2249-4677.2018.00005.12DOI1 aCANALE, M. C.  aRole of Dalbulus maidis (HemipterabCicadellidae) gender on maize bushy stunt phytoplasma transmission.h[electronic resource]  c2018  aAbstract: There is a behavioral difference between male and female of insect vectors of plant pathogens that may reflect on the transmissionof such pathogens. Dalbulus maidis is the leafhopper vector of the maize bushy stunt (MBS) phytoplasma. In this work, sexratio of D. maidis collected directly from the maize whorl or with yellow sticky cards in a field plot in Piracicaba, SP (Brazil) wasevaluated during the first month of the crop development. The natural MBS infection of the captured leafhoppers was assessedby PCR and the disease incidence was visually evaluated in the maize plots. Female D. maidis were more easily captured fromthe maize whorl, whereas male leafhoppers were more abundant in the cards. The incidence of MBS diseased plants in the plotwas 21.2%. MBS phytoplasma was detected in 8% of the captured females whilst 2% of males carried the prokaryote. It is possiblethat the infected leafhoppers in the early stage of the crop contribute to the final disease incidence. Additionally, the acquisitionand transmission rates to maize seedlings by males and females of D. maidis, virgin or mated, was studied. Acquisition rate ofMBS phytoplasma was not significantly different between male and female leaf hoppers, however, female, either virgin or mated,transmitted the phytoplasma in a higher rate than males. The behavior of females of spending more time on the plant feedingmay explain the higher natural infection of MBS phytoplasma in field condition and the increased transmission rate observedin the experiment.  aCorn  aInsect vectors  aPhytoplasmal diseases  aPlant pests  aMilho  aPraga de Planta  aVetor  aZea Mays  aInsect-borne bacteria  aLeafhopper abundance  aPhytoplasma transmission1 aLOPES, J. R. S.1 aNESI, C. N.1 aPRADO, S. de S.  tPhytopathogenic Mollicutes, New Delhigv. 8, n. 1, p. 32-29, 2018.