The American leafhopper (Scaphoideus titanus Ball) is a monophagous pest that feeds on plant juices on the vine causing no direct damage. However, it is indirectly harmful as a vector of the phytoplasma Grapevine flavescense dorée (FD), the causal agent of the grapevine disease. Despite the increased use of insecticides to control the American leafhopper, which is a valuable tool in the fight against this pest, the economic damage threshold of 4 adult American leafhopper /plot/week has been exceeded in many vineyardsIt would be beneficial to monitor the American leafhopper during the growing season, as the abundance of the pest during this period can influence its damaging effect. The objective of this study is to assess the potential efficacy of mineral oils as a means of controlling American leafhopper in the autumn and spring, respectively. The results of the study indicated that a mineral oil in the insecticide Karsia Belo olje (a. s. paraffin oil) may be an effective control measure for American leafhopper larvae. Our findings suggest that the number of hatched American leafhopper larvae in the autumn mineral oil treatment was approximately half that in the control treatment. We also observed positive results from the spring mineral oil application, although it was less effective than the autumn application. The results obtained appear to support the hypothesis that the mineral oil may have the potential to reduce the population of American leafhopper and consequently reduce the risk of spreading FD, the causal agent of quarantine disease.
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