Presence of the aphid, Chaetosiphon fragaefolii, on strawberry in Argentina
Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (CEPAVE- CCT-La Plata-CONICET-UNLP), Calle 2 N° 584 1900 La Plata, Argentina
Abstract
Seasonal abundance of the strawberry aphid complex under different agronomic practices in the outskirts of La Plata, Argentina was studied on strawberry, Fragaria x ananassa Duchesne (Rosales: Rosaceae). Aphid densities were low in strawberry fields in which insecticides and fungicides were used. In addition to Aphis gossypii, Aphis fabae, Mysus persicae and Macrosiphum euphorbiae, the aphid, Chaetosiphon fragaefolii (Cockerell) (Homoptera: Aphididae), was recorded for the first time in this horticultural area. Life history and some demographic parameters were calculated for C. fragaefolii. The mean duration of nymphal stages was 10.44 days, the oviposition period was 11.8 days, and the mean number of nymph/female/day was 2.4 ± 0.3. Demographic parameters analyzed included the net reproductive rate Ro = 14.55 ± 0.096 nymph/female, generation time T=16.91 ± 0.035 days, and the intrinsic rate of increase rm = 0.158 ± (0.004). No parasites were found associated with C. fragaefolii. The pathogenic fungus, Entomophthora planchoniana Cornu (Zygomycetes: Entomophthorales) was the main mortality factor. Although aphids are not the main pests in strawberry fields, C. fragaefolii can be a serious problem because it can transmit several virus diseases of strawberry. Greater knowledge of life history traits and mortality factors of this species is needed in order to design appropriate control strategies.
Keywords: Fragariax ananassa, agricultural management, strawberry aphids, aphid complex
Correspondence: accedola@fcnym.unlp.edu.ar, bngreco@cepave.edu.ar
Received: 9 January 2008 | Accepted: 7 November 2008 | Published: 2 March 2010
Copyright: This is an open access paper. We use the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 license that permits unrestricted use, provided that the paper is properly attributed.
ISSN: 1536-2442 | Volume 10, Number 9
Cédola C, Greco N. 2010. Presence of the aphid, Chaetosiphon fragaefolii, on strawberry in Argentina. 9pp. Journal of Insect Science 10:9, available online: insectscience.org/10.9
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