APHIDS ASSOCIATED WITH PAPAYA PLANTS IN PUERTO RICO AND FLORIDA

Authors: PANTOJA, ALBERTO; PENA, JORGE - UNIV. OF PUERTO RICO; ROBLES, WILFREDO - GRAD STUDENT U OF P.R.; ABREU, EDWIN - DEPT. OF CROP PROTECTION; HALBERT, SUSAN - FL DEPT. OF AGRICULTURE; DE LOURDES LUGO, MARIA - P.R. EXP. STA; HERNANDEZ, ELIAS - COLEGIO POSTGRADOS, MEX.; ORTIZ, JUAN - P.R. EXP STA

Submitted to: Journal of Agriculture of the University of Puerto Rico
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 11/7/2005
Publication Date: 4/20/2006
Citation: Pantoja, A., Pena, J., Robles, W., Abreu, E., Halbert, S., De Lourdes Lugo, M., Hernandez, E., Ortiz, J. 2006. Aphids associated with papaya plants in Puerto Rico and Florida. Journal of Agriculture of the University of Puerto Rico. 90(1-2):99-107.

Interpretive Summary: In Puerto Rico and Florida aphids are considered a key pest limiting papaya production. Aphids do not colonize papaya plants and are considered minor pests, but several species found on papaya plants are considered a serious threat to papaya production due to their ability to transmit the papaya rinspot virus and the papaya mosaic. Worldwide, the presence of viral diseases and their insect vectors is considered the most severe limiting factor for papaya production. Chemical control is difficult because aphids transmit the virus in a non-persistent manner, thus virosis can be transmitted by non-colonizing species, and insecticides may not be effective at preventing transmission. In spite of the economic importance of aphids in papaya, little is known about the species composition and distribution in Puerto Rico and Florida. This study identified the aphids associated with papaya plants in two important papaya producing areas, Florida and Puerto Rico. Twenty-one species of aphids from thirteen genera were identified between the two localities, Florida and Puerto Rico. Differences in species composition, abundance and distribution were detected between localities and among sites in Puerto Rico. The number of species is higher at Florida (n=13) than in Puerto Rico (n = 10). Differences in species composition were also found between sites in Puerto Rico, with ten species for the Corozal site as compared to six species from Isabela. Only one species was common in all sites sampled, while three additional species were collected in both the Corozal, Puerto Rico, and Florida sites. The difference in species composition seems to be associated to weeds and the presence of commercial crops near the papaya fields.

Technical Abstract: Field trials were conducted at the Agricultural Experimental Station of the University of Puerto Rico at Isabela and Corozal and the TREC Center in Homestead, Florida to identify the aphid species associated with papaya. Twenty-one species of aphids from thirteen genera were identified between the two localities, Florida and Puerto Rico, Aphis sp., Aphis illinoisensis Shimer, Aphis spiraecola Patch, Aphis gossypii Glover, Aphis craccivora Koch, Aphis iddletonii (Thomas), Aphis nerii Boyer de Fonscolombe, Hyperomyzus carduellinus (Theobald), Hysteroneura setariae (Thomas), Lipaphis pseudobrassicae (Davis), Picturaphis sp., Pentalonia nigronervosa Coquerel, Schizaphis graminum (Rondani), Sarucallis kahawaluokalani (Kirkaldy), Shinjia orientalis (Mordvilko), Schizaphis rotundiventris (Signoret), Toxoptera citricida (Kilkardy), Toxoptera aurantii (Boyer de Fonscolombe), Tetraneura nigriabdominalis (Sasaki), Uroleucon ambrosiae (Thomas), and Uroleucon pseudoambrosiae (Olive). The number of species is higher at Florida (n=13) than in Puerto Rico (n = 10). Differences in species composition were also found between sites in Puerto Rico, with ten species for the Corozal site as compared to six species from Isabela. Only one species, A. illinoisensis, was common in all sites sampled, while three additional species, A. spiraecola, A. gossypii, and A. craccivora were collected in both the Corozal, Puerto Rico, and Florida sites. The difference in species composition between sites (Corozal and Isabela) and localities (Florida and Puerto Rico) is probably associated to differences in agricultural crops or weeds present in each location or region.