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Assessment of cotton aphids, Aphis gossypii , and their natural enemies on aphid‐resistant and aphid‐susceptible wheat varieties in a wheat–cotton relay intercropping system
Author(s) -
Ma Xiao Mu,
Liu Xiao Xia,
Zhang Qing Wen,
Zhao Jian Zhou,
Cai Qing Nian,
Ma Yong An,
Chen Dong Mei
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
entomologia experimentalis et applicata
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.765
H-Index - 83
eISSN - 1570-7458
pISSN - 0013-8703
DOI - 10.1111/j.1570-8703.2006.00484.x
Subject(s) - biology , aphis gossypii , aphididae , agronomy , intercropping , aphid , homoptera , russian wheat aphid , sitobion avenae , pest analysis , aphis craccivora , coccinellidae , predation , horticulture , predator , ecology
The cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover (Homoptera: Aphididae), is an important cotton pest in northern China, especially in the seedling stage of cotton. After large scale commercial use of transgenic Bt cotton, cotton aphids became one of the most important cotton pests. A 2‐year study was conducted to evaluate the role of four winter wheat varieties that were resistant or susceptible to wheat aphid, Sitobion avenae Fabricius (Homoptera: Aphididae), in conserving arthropod natural enemies and suppressing cotton aphids in a wheat–cotton relay intercropping system in northern China. The results indicated that wheat–cotton intercropping preserved and augmented natural enemies more than a monoculture of cotton. The density of natural enemies in cotton was significantly different among relay‐intercropping fields with different wheat varieties. The highest density of natural enemies and low cotton aphid populations were found in the treatment of cotton in relay intercropped with the wheat variety Lovrin10, which is susceptible to wheat aphid. The lowest density of predators and parasitoids associated with high cotton aphid populations were found with the wheat variety KOK1679, which is resistant to wheat aphid. The results showed that wheat varieties that are susceptible or moderately resistant to wheat aphid might reduce cotton aphids more effectively than an aphid‐resistant variety in the intercropping system by enhancing predators to suppress cotton aphids during the cotton seedling stage.