In vitro egg hatching of Diaphorina citri,the vector of Huanglongbing

Citrus greening (Huanglongbing, HLB) is a destructive disease associated with the uncultivable, phloem-limited, gram-negative bacteria Candidatus Liberibacter spp., which affects citrus crops and other Rutaceae species. HLB is rapidly transmitted by the Asian citrus psyllid, Diaphorina citri Kuwayama (Hemiptera: Liviidae). We developed an artificial medium on which D. citri eggs can hatch and first-instar nymphs can feed. The medium could be used to study insect physiology and screen molecules that may interfere with egg hatching and nymph development.