Xylella fastidiosa Wells is among the most dangerous plant pathogenic bacteria in the world and is responsible for many economically important diseases on agricultural crops and ornamental plants, such as grapevine Pierce’s disease, phony peach disease, citrus variegated chlorosis and olive quick decline syndrome. The meadow spittlebug Philaenus spumarius L. (Hemiptera: Aphrophoridae) has been identified as the main vector of X. fastidiosa in Europe. As this species is widespread throughout the European continent and has not previously posed any threat to agriculture, knowledge about its biology and ecology is scarce, at least for Switzerland. In order to fill this gap and with a proactive approach toward a potential arrival of X. fastidiosa, we are studying the phenology and ecology of P. spumarius in Switzerland (Ticino). The study of its phenology aims at identifying the developmental periods, the host plants and their specificity under the Swiss climate, so as to inform the development of effective management measures. The ecology is currently studied across the Southern Alps according to a stratified sampling design that considers different combinations of environmental factors (climate, geology and topography, summarized by the Swiss Environmental Domains), habitat (vineyards, olive groves, orchards, meadows, pastures) and management type (intensive vs. extensive). This will provide (i) information about host plant species preference and specificity shown by nymphs within different regional pools and (ii) estimates of the density of P. spumarius’ nymphs in different environmental conditions/habitats. Collected data will ultimately be used to model and predict the potential distribution of the vector in different agroecosystems of the Swiss agricultural landscape and to inform risk assessment for X. fastidiosa.
