Peach potato aphid

The Peach-Potato Aphid (PPA) known as Mysus persicae is known to feed on a wide range of plants including several grown as crops. 

They are known to transmit viruses to crop plants including Turnips Yellow Virus (TuYV) which can lead to yield reductions in oilseed rape.

Damage

The Peach-Potato aphid originates from Asia where its host plant, the peach tree, is native.  However, it is now a pest with a world-wide distribution. The peach potato aphid (Myzus persicae) is a particularly polyphagous aphid with summer host plants from more than 40 different families and has the ability to transmit over 100 viruses.

Transmission of viruses can cause serious economic damage but only heavy infestations cause direct feeding damage. Peach potato aphid, Myzus persicae, is the most important vector of turnip yellows virus (TuYV), potato leaf roll virus (PLRV), potato virus A (PVA) and potato virus Y (PVY). It also transmits cauliflower mosaic virus (CaMV), beet yellows virus (BYV), beet chlorosis virus (BChV) and beet mild yellowing virus (BMYV). If aphids transmit viruses early in the season, the effects are greatest.

Appearance 

The aphid itself is 1-2mm long, oval in shape, and varies from green to pale yellow and pink and these can all occur in the same colony. The wingless peach–potato aphid is medium-sized and pale green to pink or almost black. The winged form is a similar size but has a black central abdominal patch on the upper surface with a pale underside.

Control Recommendations

The vast majority of M. persicae are resistant to pirimicarb and quite a high proportion are resistant to pyrethroid insecticides. There is no resistance to neonicotinoid insecticides. 

Natural enemies include parasitic wasps, ladybirds, predatory flies, spiders, ground beetles, rove beetles, lacewings and insect-pathogenic fungi. Providing habitats that encourage the presence of these can help control aphid numbers. They may not be effective in preventing virus transmission, as this can occur even at low aphid densities.

Early sowing of sugar beet can mean it is less likely to be affected, as older leaves are less palatable to the aphids.

Related Links

Aphid Monitoring Network 

Rothamsted Insect Survey 

 

Information and  from Rothamsted's Croprotect webpage supported by BBSRC NERC Sustainable Agriculture Research & Innovation Club

Related Organisations

Content below is from across the PEP community and is not necessarily endorsed by Stewards or by PEP

Connected Content

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Integrated Pest Management highlights the growth of a healthy crop with the least possible disruption to agro-ecosystems and encourages natural pest control mechanisms. IPM is one of the tools for low-pesticide-input pest management, and IPM must now be implemented by all professional agchem users.

Pollen Beetle

Pollen beetles (Meligethes aeneus) are prevalent during Spring and Summer months and are a significant pest of European oilseed rape.  

Cereal Aphids

Sitobion avenae and Rhopalosiphum padi, otherwise known as the grain aphid and bird cherry-oat aphid, are the two main species of cereal aphids.

Potato Cyst Nematode (PCN)

The Potato Cyst Nematode damages the roots causing poor growth, wilting during periods of water stress and early senescence.

Pests

Invertebrate pests cause problems in agriculture when the level of injury they cause reaches a point where the crop yield is significantly reduced.   

Potatoes

Potatoes are an important UK crop grown over 140,000 ha producing 5.5 Million tonnes

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