Variation of resistance and susceptibility in wheat cultivars to different populations of Rhopalosiphum padi (Hemiptera: Aphididae) in China

Abstract

The bird cherry-oat aphid, Rhopalosiphum padi (L.) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is an important pest insect of wheat, Triticum aestivum (L.), in China. The susceptibility and resistance of wheat cultivars to different populations of R. padi have been rarely reported. In the current study, eight R. padi populations were collected from different provinces of China, the resistance or susceptibility of six wheat cultivars (Emai 596, Emai 18, Emai 251, Zhengmai 98, Xanthus and 35A9B) to these eight populations was tested by the ratio of aphid abundance according the standard method previously reported. The results showed that R. padi populations from Lanzhou of Gansu Province and Taian of Shandong Province showed similar pattern of aphid-host reactions among the six wheat cultivars. Populations from Nanyang of Henan Province and Baicheng of Jilin Province shared a different pattern of reaction. The respective populations from Xianyang of Shaaxi Privince, Beibei of Chongqing Province, Hongtong of Shanxi Province and Baoding of Hebei Province showed unique resistance/susceptible patterns of aphid-host reactions from other populations. The variability in the response to wheat cultivars to R. padi indicated the existence of biotypic variation in populations. The weight of adult aphid survivors of different populations varied on six wheat cultivars, but did not correspond well to the susceptibility and resistance of wheat cultivars. Our findings are important for the sustainable control of R. padi in different wheat growing regions of China.