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Factors determining the pest status of the rose‐grain aphid, Metopolophium dirhodum (Walker), on winter barley in the United Kingdom
Author(s) -
HOWARD M. T.,
DIXON A. F. G.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
annals of applied biology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.677
H-Index - 80
eISSN - 1744-7348
pISSN - 0003-4746
DOI - 10.1111/j.1744-7348.1995.tb06646.x
Subject(s) - biology , pest analysis , rose (mathematics) , aphid , agronomy , winter wheat , aphididae , homoptera , horticulture
Summary To test the hypothesis that early maturation of barley affords it some resistance to cereal aphids, the colonisation, survival, growth, reproduction and emigration of M. dirhodum on barley was measured and compared with previously published results for this aphid on wheat. Barley plants were colonised as readily as wheat plants. Survival to maturity was similar on both hosts. Relative growth rate was higher on wheat than on barley for most of the season while reproduction was similar on both. Emigration, measured alate production, was significantly higher on mature wheat than on mature barley. It is proposed that the increase of M. dirhodum populations on barley is normally terminated early in the year directly plant maturation and consequent drying out of the leaves, resulting in the death of aphids. This is different to the situation on wheat, which matures later, and where emigration following plant induced alate induction has been shown to be the major factor affecting the decline in population growth. These results support the hypothesis that early maturation of barley provides some resistance to M. dirhodum.