Impact of the temperature on the phenology of diaphorina citri (Hemiptera: Liviidae) and on the establishment of tamarixia radiata (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) in urban areas in the Lower Colorado Desert in Arizona

The invasive pest Diaphorina citri Kuwayama was first detected in Arizona in 2009. Since late 2013, the parasitoid Tamarixia radiata (Waterson), the main biocontrol agent of D. citri, has been released as part of a biological control program on citrus grown in urban areas of two western Arizona counties in the lower Colorado desert environment. Here we report a 3-yr survey aimed at evaluation of T. radiata releases on D. citri populations and assess the impact of the climate conditions on the phenology of D. citri and on the establishment success of T. radiata. We also monitored the phenology of D. citri as part of this assessment on different citrus host species. We show that the high summer temperatures in the Arizona desert halt the development of D. citri for about 3 mo every year which appears to have limited the establishment and impact of T. radiata. At survey sites distant from release areas the parasitism rates over the season ranged from 0 to 75% and on average peaked around 50% in 2016 but it was low or absent in 2015 and 2017, respectively. We discuss the consequences of this phenology of D. citri in the desert areas for the prospects of long-term establishment of T. radiata and the management of this key citrus pest.