Seasonal Abundance of two Cereal Aphids, Rhopalosiphum padi (L.) and Schizaphis graminum (Rondani), (Homoptera, Aphididae) on Twelve Elite Wheat Lines in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia PDF

Keywords

aphids, wheat, cereal

Abstract

The seasonal abundance of two cereal aphids, Rhopalosiphum padi (L.) and Schizaphis graminum (Rondani) on twelve elite wheat lines were investigated. All wheat lines were infested by both aphid species. The population densities of R. Padi were much higher on all tested wheat lines than those of S. graminum. The number of the latter were lower on Durum than on Bread wheat lines and the opposite was true with the former. Wheat cultivar, West Bread was significantly less susceptible to R. Padi than L 891 and L 893 bread lines. Also, durum line L 18 is significantly less susceptible to infestation by the former insect than L 894. It is preferable to choose early maturing wheat varieties to avoid the build up of high numbers of aphids.