A 5 yr study in the semiarid wheat production region of eastern Washington documented the relative densities of pest aphids and their natural enemies in cereal production systems using on-farm replicated plots. The systems were reduced-tillage soft white winter wheat (SWW) (Triticum aestivum L.)—summer fallow rotation; no-till soft white spring wheat (SWS)— chemical fallow rotation; continuous ...

Many plant viruses depend on aphids and other phloem-feeding insects for transmission within and among host plants. Thus, viruses may promote their own transmission by manipulating plant physiology to attract aphids and increase aphid reproduction. Consistent with this hypothesis, Myzus persicae (green peach aphids) prefer to settle on Nicotiana benthamiana infected with Turnip mosaic virus (Tu...

Using infochemicals to develop a push-pull strategy in pest control is a potential way to promote sustainable crop production. Infochemicals from plant essential oils were mixed with paraffin oil for slow release in field experiments on wheat to control the population density of cereal aphids and to enhance their natural enemies. (Z)-3-Hexenol (Z3H) attracted Metopolophum dirhodum and Sitobion ...

Plum pox, an invasive disease recently identified in Pennsylvania stone fruit orchards, is caused by the aphid-transmitted Plum pox virus (genus Potyvirus, family Potyviridae, PPV). To identify potential vectors, we described the aphid species communities and the seasonal dynamics of the dominant aphid species within Pennsylvania peach orchards. Aphids were trapped weekly in 2002 and 2003 from ...

Plum pox, an invasive disease recently identiÞed in Pennsylvania stone fruit orchards, is caused by the aphid-transmitted Plum pox virus (genus Potyvirus, family Potyviridae, PPV). To identify potential vectors, we described the aphid species communities and the seasonal dynamics of the dominant aphid species within Pennsylvania peach orchards. Aphids were trapped weekly in 2002 and 2003 from m...

Although there is long-standing recognition that pest complexes require different management approaches than individual pests, relatively little research has explored how pests interact. In particular, little is known of how herbivorous insects and plant pathogens interact when sharing the same host plant. The soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Mastumura, a recently introduced pest of soybean in the...

BACKGROUND The regulatory role of small RNAs (sRNAs) in various biological processes is an active area of investigation; however, there has been limited information available on the role of sRNAs in plant-insect interactions. This study was designed to identify sRNAs in cotton-melon aphid (Aphis gossypii) during the Vat-mediated resistance interaction with melon (Cucumis melo). METHODOLOGY/PR...

Simple sequence repeats (SSRs) or microsatellites are very useful molecular markers, owing to their locus-specific codominant and multiallelic nature, high abundance in the genome, and high rates of transferability across species. The soybean aphid (Aphis glycines Matsumura) has become the most damaging insect pest of soybean (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) in North America, since it was first found i...

While effects of urbanization on species assemblages are receiving increasing attention, effects on ecological interactions remain largely unexplored. We investigated how urbanization influences the strength of direct and indirect trophic interactions in a tri- trophic system. In a field experiment including five cities and nearby farmed areas, we used potted Vicia faba plants and manipulated t...

Since the arrival of the soybean aphid, Aphis glycines, to the U.S. in 2000, year to year abundances have varied substantially. Although, field studies have suggested that several resident generalist predators have the ability to suppress A. glycines populations, factors responsible for its population dynamics remain unclear. For natural enemies to regulate herbivore populations, predation rate...