CALIBER

Disease only occurs with the right combination of plant, bacterium, and insect

‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ (Lso) is a bacterium which causes zebra chip disease in potato. Lso exists in different variants (called haplotypes). Different variants can also lead to significant losses in other crops including tomato, carrot, and celery in some parts of the world. Lso is not currently causing widespread damage in the UK despite the bacterium being present here. Essential to understanding the spread of Lso is understanding the insects that carry it. The disease is only transmitted from plant to plant by sap-feeding insects called psyllids. These insects are highly specific, typically feeding on just one or a few host plant species. This means that for disease to occur both the plant-specific psyllid, and a suitable Lso haplotype need to be present.

Find out more about ‘Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum’ and zebra chip disease

This research documented the presence of Lso and insect vectors across the UK

Over the course of 3 years we analysed 8458 plants and 2646 insects collected from 40 carrots fields and their margins across the UK. We tested all the samples for the presence of Lso. When Lso was found we used genome sequencing to identify which of the haplotypes was present. We also sequenced the genome of psyllid insect vectors to develop biomarker tests. Parallel to the field testing, we also developed a risk assessment and economic impact model to evaluate the current and potential future impact of Lso to UK agriculture.

For more information about this project contact Adrian Fox.

Download a CALIBER project summary with findings and recommendations

Download an infographic about the potential risks of Lso and how to mitigate them

Publications and other outputs from CALIBER

Caliber research summary Download