In China, two invasive pests, Bemisia tabaci MEAM1 (Gennadius) and Frankliniella occidentalis (Pergande), often co-occur with the native pest, Aphis gossypii (Glover), on plants of Malvaceae and Cucurbitaceae. All three are preyed on by the native ladybird, Harmonia axyridis (Pallas); however, the native predator might be expected to prefer native prey to the exotic ones due to a shared evoluti...

The cotton aphid fungus, Neozygites fresenii (Entomophthorales: Neozygitaceae) is an important pathogen of the cotton aphid Aphis gossypii (Glover) (Homoptera: Aphididae). The capilliconidia of this pathogenic fungus adhere to the integument of aphids, beginning the cycle of mycosis. Few studies have been conducted that attempt to quantify or examine the points of infection of an entomopathogen...

Increasing crop biodiversity, such as by adjacent managed crops, is recognized an effective biological control measure. However, few studies have focused on the mechanisms involved in how crops increase natural enemy populations, leading to reduced pest numbers. This study investigated hypothesis that cotton grown sorghum would positively influence feeding and oviposition preferences of ladybug...

The cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover, is a polyphagous pest that inflicts great damage to cotton yields worldwide. Antennal olfaction, which is extremely important for insect survival, mediates key behaviors such as host preference, mate choice, and oviposition site selection. In insects, odor detection is mediated by odorant receptors (ORs) and ionotropic receptors (IRs), which ensure the s...

Bt-transgenic cotton has proven to be highly efficient in controlling key lepidopteran pests. One concern with the deployment of Bt cotton varieties is the potential proliferation of non-target pests. We previously showed that Bt cotton contained lower concentrations of insecticidal terpenoids as a result of reduced caterpillar damage, which benefited the aphid Aphis gossypii. It is thus import...

The role of volatile stimuli in the host-searching behaviour of the two parasitoid species Lysiphlebus testaceipes Cresson and Aphidius colemani Viereck (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) was studied in relation to the host Aphis gossypii Glover (Homoptera: Aphididae) on cucumber plants, Cucumis sativa L. (Cucurbitaceae). Experiments were carried out in the laboratory in a wind tunnel, exposing individu...

Transmission experiments of different isolates of Cucumber mosaic virus (CMV), Watermelon mosaic virus (WMV) and Zucchini yellow mosaic virus (ZYMV) were conducted using established colonies of Aphis gossypii Glover, Myzus persicae (Sulzer), A. fabae Scopoli and A. craccivora Koch as vectors. The transmission procedure used provided an estimate of the virus transmission efficiency for each aphi...