Sulfoxaflor and Natural Pyrethrin with Piperonyl Butoxide Are Effective Alternatives to Neonicotinoids Against Juveniles of , the European Vector of

The threat imposed by the bacterial pathogen to crops of utter importance to European agriculture such as olive, stone fruit and grapevine calls for immediate research against the meadow spittlebug, (L.), the main European vector. Management tools should consider reducing juveniles of vector populations growing on weeds or cover crops during spring as nymphs have limited movement and do not contribute to disease spread. We examined a wide range of insecticides with different modes of action against nymphs in laboratory and semi-field glasshouse conditions. Pyrethroids (delthamethrin and λ-cyhalothrin) and natural pyrethrin (Pirecris) + piperonyl butoxide (PBO) efficacy surpassed 86% after 24 h of exposure, without significant differences in the PBO amount tested. The inclusion of PBO caused a 3-fold increase in the mortality of nymphs compared to pyrethrin alone. Sulfoxaflor (Closer) exhibited similar efficacy at 48 and 72 h but it was slow acting and mortality only reached 60% at 24 h. The LC was 34 ppm at 72 h. Pymetrozine, spirotetramat, azadirachtin and kaolin were not effective against nymphs (mortality <33%) although in azadirachtin-treated plants, mortality had a 3-fold increase from 24 to 72 h. Our results will help decision-making policy bodies to set up a sustainable integrated pest management of in areas where becomes a problem.