07/09/2024
Heartbroken!!!
More yellow asters disease and no cure!!!
You have to pull the entire plant otherwise they jump and destroy more! Another bug that I am curious to what purpose it truly holds… except making flowers look cool and fooling a person who has no idea that it’s actually a disease 😭😭
FYI definition-
Aster yellows is a viral-like disease caused by a phytoplasma (formerly called a mycoplasma-like organism). Insects that suck the sap of plants, especially the aster leafhopper, vector the disease. Aster leafhoppers are insects that annually migrate northward from their winter home in areas along the Gulf of Mexico. Aster yellows is a disease that affects over 300 species of plants, including ornamentals such as aster, coneflower, zinnia, marigold, chrysanthemum, petunia, and snapdragon. Edibles affected include lettuce, carrots, tomatoes, and celery. Grasses and grains are also hosts. Weeds that may harbor the disease include plantain, dandelion, and other broad-leafed weeds.
Aster yellows is primarily transmitted by leafhoppers. When a leafhopper feeds on a plant infected with aster yellows it becomes "infected" with the phytoplasma and remains infected throughout its life. The phytoplasma cells multiply and cause infection of the insect’s salivary glands within one to three weeks. When the infected insects feed on healthy plants, they inject the phytoplasma cells into the plant phloem. Susceptible plants will be symptomatic in 10 to 40 days.
The spread of aster yellows is worse in cool, wet summers. Hot dry weather is not favorable for either the phytoplasma or the leafhopper. As with many disease and pest problems, diagnosis is perhaps the most important factor in controlling aster yellows.
