Invasive cereal aphids of North America: Ecology and pest management

Authors: BREWER, MICHAEL - Texas A&M University; PEAIRS, FRANK - Colorad0 State University; Elliott, Norman - Norm

Submitted to: Annual Review of Entomology
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/1/2018
Publication Date: 1/1/2019
Citation: Brewer, M.J., Peairs, F.B., Elliott, N.C. 2019. Invasive cereal aphids of North America: Ecology and pest management. Annual Review of Entomology. 64:73-93. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ento-011118-111838.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ento-011118-111838

Interpretive Summary: We compare the invasive ecology of and management response to sugarcane aphid on sorghum, Russian wheat aphid on wheat and other cereals, and greenbug on wheat and sorghum found in the North American Great Plains and surrounding regions. The region exploited by aphid invasions is determined primarily by climate and host plant availability, while outbreak intensity is also affected by natural enemies and managed inputs such as aphid-resistant cultivars and insecticides. Over time, increases in natural enemy abundance and diversity and beneficial synergies among management tactics such as host plant resistance and cultural controls, supplemented by threshold-based insecticide use, have likely combined to markedly increase the resilience of aphid regulation. Application of pest management foundational practices followed by a focus on positively interacting strategies are relevant worldwide. Advanced area-wide pest management may be most appropriate and essential to large-scale cereal production systems as exemplified in the North American Great Plains.

Technical Abstract: We compare the invasive ecology of and management response to sugarcane aphid on sorghum, Russian wheat aphid on wheat and other cereals, and greenbug on wheat and sorghum found in the North American Great Plains and surrounding regions. The region exploited by aphid invasions is determined primarily by climate and host plant availability, while outbreak intensity is also affected by natural enemies and managed inputs such as aphid-resistant cultivars and insecticides. Over time, increases in natural enemy abundance and diversity and beneficial synergies among management tactics such as host plant resistance and cultural controls, supplemented by threshold-based insecticide use, have likely combined to markedly increase the resilience of aphid regulation. Application of pest management foundational practices followed by a focus on positively interacting strategies are relevant worldwide. Advanced area-wide pest management may be most appropriate and essential to large-scale cereal production systems as exemplified in the North American Great Plains.