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).