Manager Plant Health Operations – Nick Secomb
Exotic Plant Pest Hotline: 1800 084 881 (available 24 hours)
Email [email protected]
April 2017
Tomato potato psyllid – host plants
Tomato potato psyllid (Bactericera
cockerelli - TPP) is a serious pest that
affects a range of plants including potato,
tomato, eggplant, capsicum, chilli,
tamarillo, goji berry and sweet potato.
It has been found on over 60 properties in
Western Australia to date (as of 24 March
2017). With the exception of Norfolk Island,
an external Australian territory, this is the
first time the psyllid has been detected on
the Australian mainland.
To date TPP has not been detected in South Australia or any other states.
However biosecurity is everyone’s responsibility. While TPP does not pose a risk to
human health, its potential impacts on our $1 billion horticultural industry and backyard
crops mean that we all need to be vigilant in looking for the pest.
The Industry Threat Specific Contingency Plan for the zebra chip complex lists the
plants listed below as known hosts of the tomato potato psyllid (TPP). While TPP has
been shown to ‘hitchhike’ on other plants, these listed host plants should be targeted for
surveillance.
Known hosts of the tomato potato psyllid
Host
Common name
Nicandra physalodes (L.) Gaertn.
Apple of Peru
Solanum carolinense L.
Ball nightshade, Bull nettle, Horse nettle,
Devil’s tomato
Solanum aviculare G. Forst.
Bullibulli
Physalis peruviana L.
Cape gooseberry
Physalis franchetti Mast.
Chinese lantern
Physalis heterophylla Nees
Clammy ground-cherry
Nierembergia hippomanica Miers
Cup flower
Lycopersicon pimpinellifolium (L.) Mill
Currant tomato
Physalis angulata L.
Cut leaf ground-cherry
Solanum melongena L.
Eggplants, Aubergine
Nicotiana affinis Moore
Flowering tobacco
Solanum villosum Mill.
Hair nightshade
Hyoscyamus niger L.
Henbane
Physalis pruinosa L.
Husk tomato
Solanum capsicastrum Link ex Schauer Jerusalem cherry
Datura stramonium L.
Jimsonweed, Thornapple
Physalis longifolia Nutt.
Longleaf ground-cherry
Physalis mollis Nutt.
Longleaf ground-cherry
Physalis rotundata Rydb.
Longleaf ground-cherry
Lycium halimifolium Mill.
Matrimony vine
Solanum pyracanthum Jacq.
Porcupine tomato
Solanum tuberosum L.
Potato
Physalis lobata Torr.
Purple ground- berry
Solanum betaceum Cav. [synonym:
Cyphomandra betacea (Cav.) Sendtn.]
Tamarillo
Nicotiana tabacum L.
Tobacco
Physalis ixocarpa Brot. ex Hornem.
[synonym: Physalis philadelphica Lam.]
Tomatillo
Lycopersicon esculentum Mill
[synonyms: Solanum lycopersicum L.,
Lycopersicon lycopersicum (L.) H.
Karst.]
Tomato
Solanum gracile Sendtn.
Velvety nightshade
Solanum sisymbriifolium Lam.
Viscid nightshade, Sticky nightshade
Solanum elaeagnifolium Cav.
White horse- nettle, Silver- leaf nightshade
Physalis comata Rydb.
Wild ground- cherry
Solanum jamesii Torr.
Wild potato
Solanum triflorum Nutt.
Wild tomato
Solanum nigrum
Wonderberry, Black nightshade, Blackberry
nightshade, Garden huckleberry
Datura meteloides Dunal
Hyoscyamus albus L.
Lycium andersonii A. Gray
Lycium exsertum A. Gray
Lycium fremontii A. Gray
Lycium macrodon A. Gray
Lycium pallidum Miers
Lycium parishii A. Gray
Lycium quadrifidum Moc. & Sessé ex
Dunal
Lycium torreyi A. Gray
Nicotiana glutinosa L.
Nicotiana texana Maxim.
Physalis lanceolata Michx.
Solanum baylisii Geras.
Solanum citrullifolium A. Braun
Solanum mexicanum Moc. & Sessé ex
Dunal
Solanum racemigerum Zodda
Solanum sanitwongsei Craib
If in doubt about a potential host plant on your property or on how to submit submitting
a sample or for more information, please contact the Exotic Plant Pest Hotline on
1800 084 881.
Photo credit: Pia Scanlon, DAFWA Entomology 2017