Comparing performance of Aphis glycines Matsumura fed on two novel hosts relative to Glycine max (L.) Merrill

Abstract

Abstract The soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura, is an important pest of soybean. During some years with occurrences of heavy aphid infestations in field, A. glycines can cause serious damage to soybeans. A. glycines has a heteroecious and holocyclic life cycle, with migration occurring between the primary and secondary hosts during each year. The primary hosts of A. glycines are Rhamnus spp., and the secondary hosts are soybean, Glycine max (L.) Merrill, and wild soybean species, Glycine soja Sieb & Zucc. In this study, A. glycines were fed on detached leaves and live plants of Trifolium repens L. and Metaplexis japonica (Thunb.) Makino, and their survival, development and reproduction were studied at five constant temperatures. These data were compared to those of controls fed on the known host plant G. max. When A. glycines were fed on detached leaves of T. repens and M. japonica, they showed vigorous development and reproduction. The novel and striking results were that: (1) A. glycines could not thrive on live plants of M. japonica, and only a few nymphs were deposited. (2) When A. glycines were fed on live plants of vegetative stage T. repens, adult longevity and fecundity were as long as 11.64 ± 1.17 days and as great as 12.92 ± 1.23 nymphs per adult, respectively. This work provides important evidence that M. japonica is not a host of A. glycines, but T. repens is probably an important host for this aphid.