Infection of Blueberry Cultivar 'Emerald' with a California Pierce's Disease Strain of Xylella fastidiosa and Acquisition by Glassy-Winged Sharpshooter

Bacterial leaf scorch disease caused by occurs in southern highbush blueberry varieties in the southeastern United States. Susceptibility to varies by blueberry cultivar, and these interactions are often strain-specific. subsp. is the causal agent of Pierce's disease in grapevines, and it has been problematic in the San Joaquin Valley of California since the introduction of the glassy-winged sharpshooter ( ). The glassy-winged sharpshooter is known to feed on blueberry, a crop that is expanding in the San Joaquin Valley. Currently, little is known about the potential for the spread of between grape and blueberry in this region. The ability of a Pierce's disease strain of from the San Joaquin Valley to cause disease in southern highbush blueberry and the potential for the glassy-winged sharpshooter to transmit between blueberry and grapevine were investigated. Experimental inoculations showed that the subsp. strain Bakersfield-1 can cause disease in blueberry cv. Emerald, and that the glassy-winged sharpshooter can acquire from artificially inoculated blueberry plants under laboratory conditions. Understanding the possibility for strains from the San Joaquin Valley to infect multiple crops grown in proximity is important for area-wide pest and disease management.