Skip to main content
ARS Home » Plains Area » El Reno, Oklahoma » Oklahoma and Central Plains Agricultural Research Center » Peanut and Small Grains Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #391302
Research Project: Management Strategies for Invasive Aphid Pests of Cereals

Location: Peanut and Small Grains Research Unit

Title: The start of something new: Reproduction and host plant susceptibility of small grains with the hedgehog grain aphid, Sipha maydis (Heteroptera: Aphididae)

Author
item TAYLOR, MASON - Oklahoma State University
item Armstrong, John
item Mornhinweg, Dolores - Do
item HOBACK, W - Oklahoma State University

Submitted to: Entomological Society of America Proceedings
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/20/2022
Publication Date: 4/20/2022
Citation: Taylor, M., Armstrong, J.S., Mornhinweg, D., Hoback, W. 2022. The start of something new: Reproduction and host plant susceptibility of small grains with the hedgehog grain aphid, Sipha maydis (Heteroptera: Aphididae) [abstract]. In proceedings: 70th Annual Meeting of the Southwestern Branch of the Entomological Society of America, Fort Worth, Texas, April 18-20, 2022. Abstract 20-10. p. 46-47.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Cereal crops, including wheat, sorghum, barley, rye, and millet, are critical in providing both food and forage for livestock. Sipha maydis, the hedgehog grain aphid (HGA), is a grass-feeding aphid that is a cereal/grain pest in Europe, Asia, Africa, and South America. This aphid was discovered in California in 2007, and they have been spreading eastward reaching the central U.S. in 2019. Although this species has a wide range of hosts, little information exists to assess its pest status. We conducted reproduction studies at the USDA ARS facilities in Stillwater, OK and tested the Custer wheat Millex32, millet, and three varieties of Sorghum: TX 7000, TX 2783, and KS585 (N = 8 per trial). Reproduction by HGA was compared with that of the sugarcane aphid (SCA), Melanaphis sacchrum. After seedling growth, plants were infested with one nymph which was followed until its death. Fecundity was determined as the total number of nymphs produced. HGA reproduced on all tested plants with the highest reproduction (44.1 numphs per female) on wheat; the lowest reproduction occurred on sorghum TX 2783. In contrast, SCA reproduced most on sorghum with the known susceptible TX 7000 producing 70.8 nymphs per female and the known resistant sorghum KS 585 producing the fewest (48.9). SCA reproduced at very low rates on wheat and millet (< 2 nymphs per female). In addition, the formation of wings was recorded and HGA produced wings on all host plants. These results show HGA can colonize crop fields but reproduction is modest and the formation of wings suggests optimal growth conditions are not present in our trials.