The abundance of the American palm cixiid in relation to grass height and location of nymphs in relation to soil surface

The American palm cixiid, Myndus crudus Van Duzee (Hom., Cixiidae) is considered to be a vector of lethal yellowing of palms. A preferred breeding host of this insect is St. Augustine grass, Stenotaphrum secundatum (Walter) Kuntze. Studies were conducted in Florida to determine whether there was a relationship between height of St. Augustine grass and the abundance of American palm cixiids. In samples at the soil surface, American palm cixiid nymphs were slightly to 25 % more frequent in unmowed than in mowed grass (P = 0.0001). In tests with containerized grasses, there were about twice as many nymphs in unclipped compared to clipped grass (P > 0.13). In soil profile samples, over 50 % of the nymphs were on the soil surface and the rest were below the soil surface to a maximum depth of 3 cm. About twice as many adults were collected on long grass compared to mowed grass (P > 0.02). The potential application of the results to management of American palm cixiids on coconut farms or in LY resistance trial gardens of palms is discussed.