A new study could mean trouble for avocado growers in South Florida. The study lists nine beetle species which can carry fungus which could lead to laurel wilt, a disease which threatens avocado trees in the southern part of the state.
When researchers first began studying the spread of laurel wilt, they blamed the redbay ambrosia beetle. But further investigation suggested several more beetle species were transmitting the disease.
In a paper published this week in the Journal of Economic Entomology, scientists reported three new beetle species that carry the laurel wilt pathogen, bringing the total to nine.
There could be still more species that carry the avocado-killing fungus, scientists warned.
source: upi.com
