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The Asian citrus psyllid (Hemiptera: Liviidae) transmits a bacterium responsible for huanglongbing, a serious citrus disease. Insecticidal control of the psyllid is a key tactic used to manage the disease, but host plant resistance may hold some promise and clues in the search for alternative tactics. Results of a field survey revealed that relatively large infestation densities of the psyllid developed on conventional Citrus (Rutaceae) and citrange (Rutaceae) cultivars but not on any of 6 Poncirus trifoliata (L.) Raf. (Rutaceae) cultivars. Poncirus trifoliata is a species closely related to Citrus, and citranges are hybrids of sweet orange and P. trifoliata. Reduced colonization by the psyllid on P. trifoliata was largely a result of reduced rates of oviposition. Poncirus trifoliata resistance to oviposition was not observed in 4 citrange cultivars. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Genetic traits in Poncirus trifoliata (Rutaceae) are known to confer resistance to colonization by the Asian citrus psyllid, but field surveys indicated these traits were not expressed in any of 24 simple hybrids between P. trifoliata and sweet orange. No resistance to colonization by the psyllid was observed in 14 other types of P. trifoliata hybrids. Three citrumelo hybrids appeared to be resistant in 1 survey, but in another survey, none of 6 citrumelos exhibited resistance. Interestingly, colonization was somewhat reduced on a hybrid with P. trifoliata in the pedigree of both parents, suggesting the possibility that traits suppressing oviposition may be recovered through similar crosses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]