Brazilian citrus research organization Fundecitrus (Fund for Protection of Citriculture) recently honored University of California Davis (UC Davis) Distinguished Professor Walter Leal for his outstanding contribution to citriculture. Fundecitrus emphasized the importance of Leal’s work on the Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) and citrus fruit borer.
Brazilian native Leal is a member of the Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology faculty and a former professor and chair of the UC Davis Department of Entomology. He is the principal investigator of a research agreement between UC Davis and Fundecitrus, based in São Paulo, Brazil.
Leal discovered the sex pheromone of the ACP, which spreads HLB. Researchers are now working on a formulation to be used in traps.
Former UC Cooperative Extension advisor Surendra Dara said: “Discovery of a sex pheromone by Dr. Leal’s team is a major breakthrough not just for managing a dangerous invasive pest, but also a significant contribution to environmental sustainability. I envision this pheromone becoming a clean, green, mean weapon in the IPM (integrated pest management) arsenal against ACP.”
IPM specialist and UC Davis Distinguished Professor Emeritus Frank Zalom hailed Leal’s sex pheromone discovery as a “significant breakthrough in preventing the spread of this serious citrus insect and may offer a less toxic method for its control.”
Citrus trees infected with HLB usually die within five years, according to the UC Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (UC IPM). There is no known cure.
“The only way to protect trees is to prevent spread of the HLB pathogen in the first place, by controlling psyllid populations and removing and destroying any infected trees,” according to the UC IPM website.
Source: University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources
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