Hippodamia Convergens
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Species composition and seasonality of the natural enemies of sugarcane aphid on susceptible and resistant sorghum Erin Maxson ([email protected])1, Michael Brewer2 and James Woolley1 1Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, 2Texas A&M Agrilife Research, Corpus Christi, TX Introduction The sugarcane aphid (Melanaphis sacchari) is an emergent sorghum pest in the southern United States. The aphid was first reported on sorghum in 2013 in Texas, Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Mississippi. As of September 2015, the aphid has spread to a total of 17 states (Bowling et al. 2015a). Heavy infestation by the sugarcane aphid causes delayed seed head development, chlorosis, leaf necrosis, a buildup of honeydew and sooty mold on leaves, and reduced quantity and quality of yield (Singh et al. 2004). To develop efficient sugarcane aphid management strategies, it is necessary to evaluate the response of established aphid predators and parasitoids to this newly-invasive aphid species. The objectives of this study were twofold: first, to identify which species are feeding on the aphid, and second, to track the seasonal population trends of the aphid and its natural enemies on sorghum hybrids susceptible and resistant to the aphid. Methods Sorghum was sampled at two field sites: The Texas A&M Agrilife Research & Extension Center at Corpus Christi, Nueces County, TX (May-August 2015); and the Texas A&M University Farm, College Station, Brazos County, TX (August-October 2015). Each field site had eight plots in a randomized complete block design. Four of these plots were aphid-susceptible (Dekalb DKS 53-67 hybrid), and four were partially aphid-resistant (Dekalb DKS 37-07 hybrid). Sugarcane aphid and natural enemy populations were recorded weekly by randomly sampling 10 plants per plot. Aphids and natural enemies were counted on one upper leaf and one lower leaf of each plant, for a total of 160 leaves (8 plots x 10 plants x 2 leaves) per week. For leaves with >25 aphids, aphid counts were estimated using the Quick Aphid Checker (Bowling et al. 2015b). Adult and juvenile natural enemies were collected, and the latter were reared to adulthood. Figs 20-23: Aphid and natural enemy counts per sorghum leaf in Nueces County, 2015, showing approximately tenfold difference in population sizes between susceptible (Sus) and resistant (Res) hybrids. Peak aphid abundance: 71.1/leaf (Sus) Repeated measures ANOVA was conducted to assess differences in insect abundance between hybrids through time. versus 7.8 (Res). Results Species Composition The natural enemy communities in both counties had nearly-identical species composition. For each taxonomic group, the following species diversity was observed (Figs 1-19). Coleoptera: Coccinellidae (lady beetles): Coccinella septempunctata, Coleomegilla maculata, Cycloneda sanguinea, Harmonia axyridis, Hippodamia convergens, Olla v-nigrum, and three dusky lady beetle (subfamily Scymninae) morphospecies Diptera: Chamaemyiidae (aphid flies): a single Leucopis argentata reared from a pupa in Brazos County Diptera: Syrphidae (hoverflies): Allograpta obliqua, Eupeodes americanus, and Pseudodorus clavatus Hemiptera: Anthocoridae: Orius insidiosus (minute pirate bug), present in trace numbers Hymenoptera: Aphelinidae: Aphelinus nigritus, an aphid-mummifying parasitoid Hymenoptera: Braconidae: Lysiphlebus testaceipes, an aphid-mummifying parasitoid Hymenoptera: Encyrtidae Syrphophagus aphidivorus, a hyperparasitoid of Aphelinus nigritus Neuroptera: Chrysopidae (green lacewings): Ceraeochrysa valida, Chrysopa quadripunctata, Chrysoperla externa, Chrysoperla rufilabris, and Chrysoperla plorabunda species group Neuroptera: Hemerobiidae (brown lacewings): Hemerobius sp. Figs 24-27: Aphid and natural enemy counts per sorghum leaf in Brazos County, 2015. Natural enemy populations on susceptible (Sus) nearly double those of resistant (Res). Peak aphid abundance: 517.2/leaf (Sus) versus 340.9/leaf (Res). Conclusions The existing community of aphid-feeding insects in Texas has responded rapidly to the introduction of the sugarcane aphid on sorghum. All natural enemies except Braconidae and Chamaemyiidae were observed on aphid-infested sorghum in both juvenile and adult life stages. This suggests that these species are successful not only at locating sugarcane aphid outbreaks, but also at exploiting aphids across multiple generations. The continuity of species composition and population trends observed across two counties is evidence that this response is not an isolated event. The capacity of natural enemies to maintain activity on the resistant hybrid at levels proportionate © Jim Woolley © Travis Ahrens to aphid densities suggests that they may complement host plant resistance. Figs 1-19: Some of the aphid-feeding species observed on sorghum. Top row: 1) Coccinella septempunctata; 2) Coleomegilla maculata; 3-4) Cycloneda sanguinea; 5) Harmonia axyridis; 6) Hippodamia convergens. Middle row: 7) Olla v-nigrum; 8) Scymninae; 9-10) Allograpta obliqua; 11-12) Eupeodes americanus; 13) Pseudodorus clavatus. Bottom row: 14) Aphelinus nigritus; 15) aphid mummies (black arrows) parasitized by A. nigritus; 16) Acknowledgments Syrphophagus aphidivorus; 17-18) Chrysopidae; 19) Hemerobius sp. Figs 1-13 and 16-19 © Erin Maxson. Fig 14 © Jim Woolley. Fig 15 © Travis Ahrens. We thank Darwin Anderson, Robert Bowling, Cesar Valencia, and everyone else from Texas A&M University and Seasonal Population Trends Texas A&M Agrilife Research who assisted with sorghum planting and management. We are grateful for species In both Brazos County and Nueces County, peak abundance of sugarcane aphids and natural enemies was much higher on identifications provided by Dr. John Oswald and Ed Riley of Texas A&M University, and Dr. Stephen Giamari and susceptible sorghum than on resistant (P<0.05, Figs 20-27). Aphid populations in Nueces County peaked June 10-11 (aphid- Dr. Martin Hauser of the California Department of Food and Agriculture. This research was supported by USDA- resistant hybrid) and June 30-July 1 (susceptible). In Brazos County, aphid populations peaked September 26-27 (resistant) NIFA-CPPM-ARDP 2014-700622528. and September 20-22 (susceptible). Peak abundance of most natural enemies lagged behind by one to two weeks, with the exception of resistant sorghum in Brazos County, where both aphids and most natural enemies peaked on September 26-27. References Aphid and natural enemy populations showed similar trends at both field sites, though their numbers were much higher overall in the Brazos County site. Among natural enemies, Aphelinus nigritus and Coccinellidae were numerically predominant across Bowling, R., M. Brewer, S. Biles, and J. Gordy. 2015. 2015 Occurrence of sugarcane aphid in the U.S. and Mexico with reference to occurrence in 2013 and 2014. Texas Plant Protection Conference, Bryan, TX. all treatments, and lacewings (Chrysopidae and Hemerobiidae) were predominant except in susceptible Nueces County plots. Bowling, R., M. Brewer, and S. Biles. 2015. The sugarcane aphid: a review and scouting recommendations. Texas A&M AgriLife Some natural enemies, such as Aphelinus in Nueces County and the Coccinellidae in Brazos County, maintained relatively high Extension, Corpus Christi, Texas. activity on the resistant hybrid for a longer time period than on the susceptible hybrid (a hybrid by time period interaction Singh, B. U., P. G. Padmaja, and N. Seetharama. 2004. Biology and management of the sugarcane aphid, Melanaphis sacchari was detected, P<0.05). (Zehntner) (Homoptera: Aphididae), in sorghum: a review. Crop Protection 23: 739-755 .