Russian Wheat Aphid (Homoptera: Aphididae) Performance on Perennial Grasses

Abstract

Russian wheat aphid, Diuraphis noxia (Kurdjumov), survival and fecundity on 25 perennial grasses in their 1st yr of growth was measured in greenhouse experiments. Thirteen grasses that had survived heading, seed set, and induced dormancy were tested for aphid host suitability of plants in their 2nd yr of growth. In general, wheat grasses were the most suitable Russian wheat aphid hosts in both 1st- and 2nd-yr growth experiments. Siberian wheat grass P-27 and crested wheat grass ‘Ephraim’ were better hosts for the Russian wheat aphid 1 yr after establishment than in the 1st yr; however, there was no difference in host suitability between concurrently tested 1st- and 2nd-yr plants. Great Basin wildrye ‘Magnar’ was a less suitable host in the second year, but this perennial grass was a poor host over all plant ages. These greenhouse results support the conclusion that certain perennial grasses that are suitable for Russian wheat aphid survival and fecundity in the 1st yr of growth remain so in second and subsequent years following establishment. For acreage set aside in the Conservation Reserve Program, it is advisable to plant perennial grasses that are poor Russian wheat aphid hosts from the outset.