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PRINT ISSN : 2319-7692
Online ISSN : 2319-7706 Issues : 12 per year Publisher : Excellent Publishers Email : editorijcmas@gmail.com / submit@ijcmas.com Editor-in-chief: Dr.M.Prakash Index Copernicus ICV 2018: 95.39 NAAS RATING 2020: 5.38 |
An insect which acquires the disease causing organism by feeding on the diseased plant or by contact and transmit them to healthy plants are known as insect vectors of plant diseases. Most of the insect vectors belong to the order Hemiptera, Thysonaptera, Coleoptera, Orthoptera and Dermaptera. Homopteran insects alone are known to transmit about 90 per cent of the plant diseases. About 94 per cent of animals known to transmit plant viruses are arthropods. On the basis of the method of transmission and persistence in the vector, viruses may be classified into three categories viz. non-persistent, semi persistent and persistent viruses. Irrespective of the type of transmission, virus-vector relationship is highly specific and spread of vector borne diseases also depends upon potential of vector to spread the disease. Also for transmission of virus, activity of insect vectors is more important rather than their number. There is a high degree of specificity of phytoplasma to insects and interaction between these two is complex and variable. A number of plant diseases caused by bacteria are known to be transmitted by insects because many of these insects are actually attracted by the sugars contained in the bacterial exudates. There are several insects associated with the spread of fungal diseases. The common sooty mold fungus grows on the honeydews excreted by several homopteran insects. For the management of various types of plant diseases transmitted by insects, integrated management strategies need to be adopted to manage the vectors.