Monitoring phytoplasma-bearing leafhoppers/planthoppers in vineyards in the Golan Heights, Israel

In the course of identifying the vector(s) of the grapevine yellows (GY) an d western-X (WX) phytoplasmas in the Golan Heights. leafhopper and planthop per species were examined. The planthopper. Hyalesthes obsoletus, was trapp ed on yellow sticky traps or collected on weeds: there was a relatively sma ll peak during two weeks in June and during four weeks starting mid-Septemb er. The leafhoppers, Neoaliturus spp. and Circulifer sp. (of the haematocep s complex) were both trapped early or very late in summer, but could be col lected on weeds throughout the summer. The two remaining leafhopper species . Macrosteles quadripunctulatus and Orosius orientalis (= albicinctus) were only rarely caught on sticky traps, but were found on weeds throughout the summer. Phytoplasmas were found within the body of these five species; all are historically known to be efficient vectors of various phytoplasmas and were therefore chosen for further investigations.