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Prevalences of fungal pathogens and othernatural enemies of cereal aphids (Homoptera:Aphididae) in wheat under dryland and irrigatedconditions in South Africa

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Abstract

Surveys were conducted in the summer andwinter rainfall wheat producing regions of SouthAfrica in a first attempt to investigate theidentity and impact of entomopathogenic fungi withinthe cereal aphid complex. Wheat produced underdryland and irrigated conditions was surveyed duringthe 1996 and 1997 seasons. Six cereal aphid specieswere recorded of which the Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphis noxia, was the most abundantunder dryland conditions in the summer rainfallregion as opposed to the oat aphid, Rhopalosiphum padi, in the winter rainfallregion. Rose grain aphid, Metopolophiumdirhodum, was most prevalent underirrigated conditions in the summer rainfall region.Five species of entomopathogenic fungi were recordedincluding four entomophthorales and the hyphomycete,Beauveria bassiana. TheEntomophthorales included Pandora neoaphidis, Conidiobolus obscurus, C.thromboides, and Entomophthoraplanchoniana. Pandora neoaphidis wasthe most important etiological agent recorded fromD. noxia, with up to 50% mycosis recordedunder dryland conditions in the Bethlehem summerrainfall region. Similarly, P. neoaphidis wasthe most prevalent species within populations ofM. dirhodum. under irrigated conditions in theBergville/Winterton summer rainfall region (up to77% mycosis). However, mycoses of R. padi didnot exceed 1.7% in samples from these areas,suggesting that R. padi may be lesssusceptible to P. neoaphidis than M.dirhodum. Epizootics in populations of D.noxia under dryland conditions in both the winterand summer rainfall regions indicated a high levelof susceptibility to P. neoaphidis.Occurrences of hymenopterous parasitoids andpredators in populations of D. noxia were low,although a parasitism level of 25% was recorded inone small sample of R. padi collected from anirrigated field in the summer rainfall region.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. South African Agricultural Research Council, SmallGrain Institute, Bethlehem, South Africa

    J. L. Hatting

  2. Subtropical Agricultural ResearchCenter, Beneficial Insects Research Unit, and TexasA&M Agricultural Experiment Station, USDA, ARS, Weslaco, Texas, USA

    T. J. Poprawski

  3. University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, Scottsville, South Africa

    R. M. Miller

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  1. J. L. Hatting
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Correspondence to T. J. Poprawski.

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Hatting, J.L., Poprawski, T.J. & Miller, R.M. Prevalences of fungal pathogens and othernatural enemies of cereal aphids (Homoptera:Aphididae) in wheat under dryland and irrigatedconditions in South Africa. BioControl 45, 179–199 (2000). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1009981718582

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