In recent years the number of phytoplasma diseases that negatively affect yield and quality of many plants has been increasing around the world. As is known grafting, plant propagation materials (seed, bulb, tuber), parasitic plants and insect vectors play active role in the spread of phytoplasmas causing these diseases. These organasim which get through plate in the sieve tube element and systemically colonize the plant, it invade and multiply salivary glands, midgut, heomocel, brain and fat tissue after sucking up insect body with stylet. Subsequently they continue the cycle by moving to a new plant with a diseased insect feeding on a healthy plant. Although the existence of functional genomics in this cycle is known, there is little information about transmission of phytoplasma from vector to host plant or from host plant to vector, the mechanism of disease caused by phytoplasma in the plant and genomics involved in different reactions in the host plant against phytoplasmal infection.

Sweet cherry (Prunus avium L.) is highly valued fruit in the world and has wide production area in Turkey. Some of the species from the family Cicadellidae can cause direct damage by sucking the sap, and indirect damage by transmitting the phytoplasmas during their feeding process on the sweet cherry trees. This study was conducted to investigate the presence of the species of Cicadellidae family in Adana (Pozantı), Niğde (Darboğaz) and Kahramanmaraş (Andırın and Central Town), where sweet cherry cultivation is carried out, through 2014-2016. Surveying was done in two period a year, in spring (May-June) and fall (October-November) on the trees and weeds. As a result of sampling, 55 species from 35 genus in Cicadellidae were found. They are 32 species from Deltocephalinae subfamily, 18 species from Typhlocybinae, 4 species from Agallinae and 1 species from Megophthalminae subfamily were identified. Among them, Psammotettix striatus (Linnaeus) was the most common species with the 45.79% in total, followed by P. provincialis (Ribaut) with 15.26%. The other species were Empoasca sp. and Asymmetrasca decedens (Paoli) with 7.15% and 6.63%, respectively. It is known that the Phytoplasmas are phloem-limited agents, so, the cicadellid species that are feeding phloem tissue of the plant can acquire the pathogen and be able to transmit the phytoplasma potentially. As a result, it could be concluded that studies are needed to determine the potential to be vector of species of Deltocephalinae determined in sweet cherry orchards.