Research unveils ‘leafhopper’ risk in Türkiye

ISTANBUL - Demirören News Agency

Leafhopper, a type of cicada originated in France, has spread around Anatolia, sickening plants with a pathogen called “phytoplasma,” a research carried out by four experts from Istanbul University has revealed.

After the three-year research, in which they examined viruses on plants in a laboratory established within the university in 2019 with the support of the Scientific and Technical Research Council of Türkiye (TÜBİTAK), it was found that the insect is very common especially in the west of the country.

According to the research, which determined that many disease-carrying insects came to Türkiye in line with the increasing temperature due to climate change, these come by carrying the “bois noir,” a disease which is seen on vine leaves in France and creates black lignification on the leaves.

This causes the leaves of the vine to turn inward and the red grapes to become more petrified and gray, according to Işıl Tulum, the expert leading the research. “In Türkiye, on the other hand, we can say that the problems such as hardening of tomatoes and lack of seeds of fruits are caused by this disease.

“Our work is primarily on studying a pathogen with a minimal genome called phytoplasma,” said Tulum.

The insects, which carry many diseases, move from south to north to optimal conditions that are more suitable for them depending on the temperature differences and spread the disease in that direction, according to Tulum.

“Therefore, we can observe the risk factors that we have not encountered before in Türkiye are actually starting to spread in the inner and northern parts of the country.”

These small cicadas are more common in the Marmara provinces of Istanbul, Tekirdağ, Kırklareli, Edirne and Çanakkale, recently, Tulum said.

Tulum, who has been researching phytoplasma since 2019, warns that disease-carrying insects cannot be destroyed by chemical pesticides. “When pesticides are not applied properly, we may encounter species resistant to it.”

It shouldn’t be opted for anything chemical because that can make dealing with them, very adaptable organisms, much more difficult, according to Tulum.

The preliminary studies have shown that certain extracts, such as lavender and lemongrass, may be useful in repelling the certain species of these insects, belonging to the family “Cicadidae,” Tulum said, adding that they continue to investigate the spread and how to get rid of them naturally.

Leafhoppers, which exist throughout the temperate and tropical regions, suck plant sap from grass, shrubs or trees. Their hind legs are modified for jumping and are covered with hairs that facilitate the spreading of a secretion over their bodies that acts as a water repellent.