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Influence of relative humidity on the expression of twolined spittlebug (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) feeding injury in turfgrass genotypes

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Abstract

The twolined spittlebug, Prosapia bicincta (Say) (Hemiptera: Cercopidae), is an important insect pest of turfgrass in the eastern United States. Although twolined spittlebug infests most warm-season turfgrasses, the influence of low and high relative humidity (RH) on the expression of feeding damage in warm-season turfgrasses is not well understood. Experiments were conducted in which five warm-season turfgrasses were caged with ten twolined spittlebug adults and exposed to 40% and 95% RH for 5 days. The extent of damage was measured with a SPAD meter (chlorophyll content), and ratings of greenness, yellowness, and purpleness were obtained using a scale system. Physiological parameters such as stomatal conductance (GS), photosynthesis (A), evapotranspiration (E), and water use efficiency (WUE) were measured. Under both 40 and 95% RH, bermudagrass [Cynodon L.C. Rich, spp.] exhibited injury symptoms after twolined spittlebug exposure. The rate of A was lower in the presence of twolined spittlebug in bermudagrass under both RHs. Injury symptoms in centipedegrass [Eremochloa ophiuroides (Munro) Hack] were only observed under high-RH conditions, whereas in zoysiagrass [Zoysia matrella (L.) Merrill.] symptoms were only observed under low RH. Minimal levels of symptom expression were observed in St. Augustinegrass [Stenotaphrum secundatum (Walt.) Kuntze], and no feeding symptoms were observed in seashore paspalum [Paspalum vaginatum Sw.] under low RH. Overall, the presence of twolined spittlebug A was influenced by high RH, whereas WUE was affected by low RH in most of the turfgrass genotypes.

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Acknowledgements

We appreciate the technical assistance in the experiments provided by C. Julian and D. Westbury. Funding was provided by the Hatch project.

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  1. Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, UGA Griffin Campus, 1109 Experiment Street, Griffin, GA, 30223, USA

    Shimat V. Joseph

  2. Department of Crop and Soil Science, University of Georgia, UGA Griffin Campus, 1109 Experiment Street, Griffin, GA, 30223, USA

    David Jespersen

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Correspondence to Shimat V. Joseph.

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Joseph, S.V., Jespersen, D. Influence of relative humidity on the expression of twolined spittlebug (Hemiptera: Cercopidae) feeding injury in turfgrass genotypes. Arthropod-Plant Interactions 15, 197–207 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11829-021-09808-6

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