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Title: REACTIONS OF FOUR APHID SPECIES ON A RUSSIAN WHEAT APHID-RESISTANT WHEAT

Author
item Webster, James
item Porter, David

Submitted to: Southwestern Entomologist
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/1/2000
Publication Date: 6/5/2000
Citation: Webster, J.A., Porter, D.R. 2000. Reactions of four aphid species on a Russian wheat aphid-resistant wheat. Southwestern Entomologist. 25(2):83-90.

Interpretive Summary: Cereal aphids are the most important pests of wheat in the Southern Plains, causing millions of dollars of losses each year. Four of the most damaging species are the greenbug, the Russian wheat aphid, the bird cherry-oat aphid, and the yellow sugarcane aphid. Planting aphid-resistant varieties is an ideal pest management strategy for the wheat crop, which has a very delicate profit margin. When using pesticides, the grower must carefully weigh the cost of material and application against the expected return of the crop. Also, many pesticides currently recommended for cereal aphid control may be banned due to environmental concerns. Resistant wheat cultivars and/or germplasm lines are currently available for the Russian wheat aphid, the greenbug, and the yellow sugarcane aphid. Wheat varieties with combined resistance to all of these aphid species would be highly desirable, but none are available. Using several kinds of tests, we examined a Russian wheat aphid germplasm, STARS-9302W, and a standard aphid-susceptible variety, 'TAM W-101', for their reactions to all four aphid species. Unfortunately, STARS-9302W did not possess resistance to the other three aphid species, but efforts will continue to search for cross- resistance in other germplasm lines. In addition, wheat breeders are combining aphid resistance through traditional plant breeding techniques, but the process is time consuming. Under laboratory conditions, aphid reproduction on TAM W-101 was greatest for the greenbug, followed by the Russian wheat aphid, the bird cherry-oat aphid, and the yellow sugarcane aphid. This research is primarily of interest to other scientists at this time; however, it has the potential of being very beneficial to wheat growers in the future.

Technical Abstract: Wheat germplasms and cultivars possessing combined resistance to the major cereal aphid complex would be highly desirable, but none are available. Current aphid-resistant wheats are resistant to only a single cereal aphid species. STARS-9302W is a red-seeded facultative wheat germplasm resistant to the Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphis noxia (Mordvilko), but the reactions of this line to other major cereal aphid pests were unknown. The purpose o this research was to compare aphid-host interactions of the Russian wheat aphid and three other cereal aphid species, greenbug, Schizaphis graminum (Rondani); bird cherry-oat aphid, Rhopalosiphum padi (L.); and yellow sugarcane aphid, Sipha flava (Forbes), with STARS-9302W. Such a study would indicate the presence or absence of cross resistance of STARS-9302W to other cereal aphid species. Results of independent tests of antibiosis, antixenosis, and tolerance with the four aphid species on STARS-9302W and susceptible control 'TAM W-101' showed no cross resistance of STARS-9302W to the three other aphid species. Research needs to be intensified in this area if combined resistance to cereal aphids is to become a reality. Under laboratory conditions, reproduction on TAM W-101 was greatest for the greenbug, followed by the Russian wheat aphid, the bird cherry-oat aphid, and the yellow sugarcane aphid. This is in contrast to previously reported field cage studies where the bird cherry-oat aphid was more prolific than the greenbug.