Abstract
Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the major source of food worldwide. However, it suffers from numerous constraints. The aphids, particularly Rhopalosiphum padi (Linnaeus) and Sitobion avenae (Fabricius) species are among the major causes that severly affect wheat production acrossthe globe. To determine the population dynamics of aphids associated with wheat crop in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, we examined the mean population of both species in the selected areas (Maho Dheri, Sarband, Kandare, Rag Narai and Khazana Dheri) of district Mardan in 2015. The mean population of R. padi and S. avenae per plant were recorded every week by counting the number of aphids on 5 plants picked up randomly from each selected wheat field using the diagonal methods. The results on current study showed that the infestation of both aphid species was started in the 1st week of February (05 standard weeks). The densities of aphids per plant increased as the vegetative growth proceeded and was highest till the mid of March (10th and 11th standard week). The declined in aphid populations for both species were started after mid of March and ended in April. The mean population of both aphid species was found low in the 1st week of February (05th standard week) that is probably due to the low temperature. The population density of aphids reached to the its peak in the second week of March due to suitable temperature for aphid infestation. Keywords: District Mardan; Population dynamics; Rhopalosiphum padi; Sitobion avenae and Wheat http://dx.doi.org/10.19045/bspab.2020.90004
Highlights
E (Fabricius) species are among the major causes that severly affect wheat production acrossthe globe
The highest population growth of 46.67 ± 0.384, 44.17 ± 0.366, 52.50 ± 0.311 and 33.66 ± 0.304 was recorded for R. padi in Maho Dheri, Sarband, Rag Narai and Khazana Dheri at the 6th week (SW 10), respectively whereas a mean population of 31.50 ± 0.311 of aphids were recorded as highest for Kandare in the 7th week (SW 11) (Table 1)
The mean population growth of two cereal aphids associated with wheat fields were investigated from February 2015 to April 2015
Summary
755 million metric tons of wheat was produced during 2015-16 worldwide. In Pakistan, Wheat is a major crop and use as a staple food [4]. R. padi and S. avenae are polyphagous sucking insects having worldwide distribution [14] and cause 15% reduction in the yield of the wheat crop at flowering stage only [15] These two wheat aphids usually coexist in the wheat crops and cause damage through direct feeding on the sap from shoots and leave, causing distortion, curling, and chlorosis of leaves growth [16, 17]. We determine the field population trend of R. padi and S. avenae in wheat crops at different locations of District Mardan. This constitutes a step towards exploring the diversity of wheat aphid throughout the wheat growing season to elaborate an appropriate control plan against these pests and contributing to increase in the production of cereal crops. Sigma Plot 12.0 (Systat Software Inc., San Jose, CA) was applied to generate line graphs with error bars
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