Insects on persimmon leaf

Question: For the last 2 summers I have tried to grow Diospyrus virginiana seedlings from seed.  Around this time, the few leaves start to fall, leaving dead twigs. This morning I found 2 interesting findings on a single curled leaf which photographed at about 60 magnification with a dinoXcope.  One looks like a slowly moving persimmon psyllid as seen under that topic on NC State Extension.  Is that correct? If so, what is best treatment? The other photo is of an egg mass on the same leaf that was covered by a gauzy substance. The spherical eggs are about the same size as the presumed psyllid. Do you know what they might be?

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied June 30, 2023, 12:49 PM EDT
response: These do appear to be Persimmon Psyllid, a native insect that feeds on plant sap similar to their aphid cousins. Management usually isn't needed, but if they are causing stress to young saplings, you can easily treat them with an application of insecticidal soap. Make sure the spray thoroughly coats both upper and lower leaf surfaces, and re-apply as recommended by the product label instructions. It would probably only take a couple or so treatments to reduce or eliminate the population given how young the plants are now.  Be aware that water high in minerals can make insecticidal soap less effective because it can cause the ingredients to clump in the mixture once diluted for spraying, so if you use a concentrate you'll be mixing-up yourself (as opposed to a ready-to-use spray bottle), use purified water (distilled from the grocery store, perhaps) to help avoid this complication. Do not spray while temperatures are above 85 degrees as this risks plant tissue damage (called phytotoxicity). Don't substitute other household soap products as a home remedy; use only a labeled insecticide soap (the active ingredient may be listed as "potassium salts of fatty acids").  The leaf shedding might be psyllid-related or it might be due to some other stressor bothering the plants, like irregular watering if they are in pots that get too dry or remain too soggy. If in containers, the nitrogen supply might also run low by mid-season if not supplemented a little with modest fertilization now and then.  The eggs pictured are hard to identify but they are not the right shape or in the right arrangement (scattered, not clustered this densely) to be psyllid eggs. Instead, they might be moth eggs as several species do use persimmon as a host plant. None are considered serious pests of this tree, but given their youth and reduced ability to tolerate defoliation you may want to remove them (if you see more, since you presumably already removed the leaf you found these on in order to photograph them). An insecticidal soap treatment for the psyllids would likely kill any undetected eggs as well. Some moth species do cover their egg clusters with their own body hairs to protect them, possibly as camouflage or to deter predators or tiny egg-hunting parasitoid wasps from easily reaching them.  Miri

responder: The Question Asker Replied July 13, 2023, 12:34 PM EDT
response: Thanks for the reply on June 30th, which I just found today in my spam folder after the message about hot Russian chicks who want to … Best, Jay

responder: Answered by the Home and Garden Information Center (HGIC), University of Maryland Extension. For timely gardening information and tips, subscribe to our Maryland Grows blog and quarterly newsletter. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Replied July 13, 2023, 1:19 PM EDT
response: You're welcome, and, well...at least you found it, and sorry we wound-up hidden away with the...manure?...of actual-spam emails.  Miri