Environmental Entomology (1984) 13, 970-974
H. Brett Highland and James E. Roberts (1984)
Feeding preferences and colonization abilities of three aphid vectors (Homoptera: Aphididae) of peanut mottle virus on selected host plants
Environmental Entomology 13 (4), 970-974
Abstract: In laboratory feeding preference tests using peanuts, soybeans, cowpeas, chinese cabbage, and sorghum, Aphis craccivora (Koch) (the cowpea aphid), Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (the green peach aphid), and Rhopalosiphum maidis (Fitch) (the corn leaf aphid), all showed a preference for settling onto a host, regardless of the host species used, compared with wandering at random in the feeding arena and not feeding on any host plant. A. craccivora showed the greatest propensity to wander in the feeding arena, while R. maidis had the greatest tendency to settle and feed on the leaf disks. When offered combinations of two host plants, M. persicae preferred chinese cabbage in four comparisons and soybean in two, A. craccivora preferred soybean in two comparisons and chinese cabbage in two comparisons, and R. maidis preferred chinese cabbage in four comparisons and sorghum in three. Chinese cabbage, soybeans, cowpeas, and sorghum were preferred by the three aphid species over peanuts. Based on feeding preferences in this series of tests it is impossible to separate the relative abilities of the three aphids species to serve as vectors of peanut mottle virus (PMV) in peanuts. The three aphid species reproduced well on the plants on which they were reared. Only A. craccivora was able to reproduce on either peanuts or soybeans in caged reproduction tests.
(The abstract is excluded from the Creative Commons licence and has been copied with permission by the publisher.)
Research topic(s) for pests/diseases/weeds:
transmission/dispersal of plant diseases
