Jordanne Jacques
Project
Knowledge development on leafhoppers in strawberry and their role as vectors of viral and bacterial diseasesLeafhoppers are small insects that attack a multitude of different plants and crops. In recent years, the incidence of leafhoppers in strawberry fields has increased dramatically due to climate change. These small homoptera are causing increasingly worrying damage for strawberry producers in Quebec. Leafhoppers damage plants as they feed, but they are also vectors of bacterial and viral diseases such as phytoplasmas. Presently, there are not much information about the inventory of leafhoppers present in strawberry fields in Quebec and also about their role as vectors of phytoplasma. Thus, the results of this project will provide knowledge on the diversity and abundance of leafhoppers present in strawberry fields and will also make it possible to know which ones are vectors of phytoplasmas. Improved knowledge will also make it possible to optimize the time of intervention in the fields to avoid yield losses and reduce the overuse of pesticides.
