In vitro egg hatching of Diaphorina citri, the vector of Huanglongbing.

Citrus greening (Huanglongbing, HLB) is a destructive disease associated with the uncultivable, phloem‐limited, gram‐negative bacteria Candidatus Liberibacter spp., which affects citrus crops and other Rutaceae species. HLB is rapidly transmitted by the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae). We developed an artificial medium on which D. citri eggs can hatch and first‐instar nymphs can feed. The medium could be used to study insect physiology and screen molecules that may interfere with egg hatching and nymph development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]