Population dynamics of wheat aphid on different landraces of wheat under field conditions

Abstract

Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is the leading food grain and staple diet in Pakistan. Cereal aphids are a severe problem in wheat growing areas. Among environmentally safe and economical methods for the control of aphids, the use of resistant wheat cultivars is one of the promising approach in pest management programs which can overcome the economic damage caused by aphid infestation. In the present study, the population dynamics of wheat aphid was observed on 114 landraces of wheat. The results showed that during March, nine landraces showed the highest population of Rhopalosiphum padi while the lowest R. padi population was recorded on fourteen different landraces with aphid populations ranging from 3.25 to 4.08. In the month of April, the highest population of R. padi was recorded on 81 landraces while the lowest population was recorded on 33 landraces with mean aphid numbers ranging from 2.91 to 6.9. The peak population was recorded during the month of May on 78 landraces of wheat and proved to be the susceptible while the remaining thirty eight landraces of wheat proved to be resistant with low aphid densities. The mean aphid population varied from 4.25 to 6.95. The results obtained from the month of March were non-significant while those obtained during the months of April and May were significant