Economic significance of sugarbeet root aphid, Pemphigus populivenae Fitch (Homoptera: Aphididae) in California.
1989
Summers C.G. | Newton A.S.
Sugarbeet root aphid (SBRA), Pemphigus populivenae Fitch, was found to be widely distributed throughout the southern San Joaquin Valley of California. Infestation levels, severe enough to cause foliar symptoms, ranged from 10 to 60% of the area in individual fields. Yield losses attributable to SBRA ranged from 36 to 60% depending on the severity of infestation. Aphid infestation resulted in significantly (P less than or equal to 0.05) lowered sucrose percentage in only one of four study sites. Total sucrose production per hectare, however, was significantly (P less than or equal to 0.05) reduced in three of the four sites. Significantly (P less than or equal to 0.05) higher nitrate levels in clarified brei were associated with SBRA infestations. The larvae of a predatory Diptera, Thaumatomyia glabra (Meigen), were found associated with SBRA at all locations where the aphid was observed. A fungal pathogen, Erynia neoaphidis Remaudiere and Hennebert, was also observed infecting aphids which crawled to the soil surface and colonized the crown area. While no insecticides are currently registered for root aphid control, infestations and damage may be minimized by crop rotation, sanitation, and maintenance of adequate soil moisture.
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