ASSOCIATE
publications: Orcid
personal details and research activity: People
Curriculum Vitae
The spittlebug Philaenus spumarius L. (Hemiptera : Aphrophoridae) is the main vector of Xylella fastidiosa in Europe and, in particular, in the Apulia Region to olive trees. The efficiency of the vector in transmitting Xf is relatively low, but its abundance and the massive movement of the adult stage between the canopies of trees, and olive trees in particular, have made this insect capable of spreading the bacterium very quickly. Previous surveys have shown the prevalence of infected insects in the field during the season, others have described in more detail the transmission pattern of P. spumarius to the olive plants under investigation, and still others have shown how susceptible and resistant olive cultivars respond to water stress when infected. Suppression of vector populations is critical for the control of vector-borne diseases, and the P. spumarius – Xf system is no exception. Numerous field experiments have been conducted in recent years to test different strategies for containing juvenile and adult populations of spumarius. However, vector control poses several challenges in terms of environmental sustainability and efficiency.
As a Ph.D student, my work at the IPSP-CNR of Torino will focus on the viruses associated with P. Spumarius which is a part of the Reach-XY project.
The main goal of this research is to pave the way for the creation of virus-based pesticides for the control of P. spumarius. To this purpose, four objectives will be addressed:
- To re-assess the composition of the virome of four different populations of P. spumarius, namely those from Chieri, Bellino, Gallipoli (Italia) and Sault (France).
- To evaluate the fitness of these populations according to their virome.
- To determine which viruses are vertically and/or horizontally transmitted.
- To estimate the role of environmental stressors on different insect populations characterized by a different virome composition.