Population structure and incidence of the stolbur phytoplasma vectorHyalesthes obsoletus(Cixiidae) among geographic regions in Switzerland

The dissemination of stolbur phytoplasma (16Sr-XIIA group)-induced yellows diseases depends on the dispersal biology and host plant fidelity of the planthopper vector Hyalesthes obsoletus (Hemiptera: Cixiidae). We analysed the degree of these two properties in H. obsoletus by studying its population genetic structure and stolbur infection rates relative to the two major host plants, Convolvolus arvensis and Urtica dioica, in order to infer relevant divisions for stolbur epidemiology in Swiss viticultural regions. Three regional populations with the potential to determine stolbur epidemiology in distinct ways were identified. First, populations associated with U. dioica in northern Switzerla…