This document discusses important aphid pests and their management through cultural practices. It lists the main aphid species that infect various crops like mustard, cabbage, cotton and describes how early sowing dates can help escape damage. Plant spacing, intercropping, removal of alternate hosts, use of trap crops and resistant varieties are recommended cultural controls. The role of water, fertility, pruning and natural enemies in aphid population dynamics is also covered. Future research needs on monitoring population dynamics under different conditions is suggested.

1. IMPORTANT APHIDSIMPORTANT APHIDS
 Mustard aphid –Lipaphis erysimi Kalt.
 Cabbage aphid – Brevicoryne brassicae L.
 Peach aphid – Myzus persicae (Sulz.)
 Cotton aphid – Aphis gossypii Glover
 Bean aphid – A. Craccivora Koch.
 Bean aphid – A. fabae Scop.

2. EARLY SOWINGEARLY SOWING
 Information on population dynamic of aphid is must
 Toria escapes – L. erysimi damage
 Mustard suffers less – L. erysimi & M. persicae
 Taramire (Oct.) – M. persicae
 Barley (mid Oct. – mid Nov.) –R. maidis
 Cotton (25th
April)- A. gossypii – more
 Safflower (15 Sept. – 7 Oct.) – U. carthami
 Coriander (late Oct.) – Hyadaphis coriandri
 Cumin (upto 16 Nov.) – M. persicae
Contd…

3. Date of sowingDate of sowing Mustard Aphid populationMustard Aphid population
11stst
OctoberOctober 30.630.6
1515thth
OctoberOctober 69.469.4
3030thth
OctoberOctober 104.0104.0
1515thth
NovemberNovember 1632.01632.0
 Lentil (Early Nov. more than late Nov. / early Dec.) A. craccivora

4. PLUCKING OF INFESTED PARTSPLUCKING OF INFESTED PARTS
 R & M infested twigs with L. erysimi
 Citrus twigs infested with aphids

5. PLANT SPACING AND DENSITY
 Wider spacing (60x20cm) / low plant
Population-high A. craccivora on Chickpea
 Close spacing in R & M due to broadcasting
– more L. erysimi
 Narrower row spacing of Maize- reduced aphid
colonization on bean

6. INTERCROPPING
To avoid risk of crop failure
Better utilization of farm recourses and labour
Protection from pest
 Cabbage + Mustard, Rai + Taramira
 Cotton + Lablab, Greengram, Blackgram,
Cowpea– A. gossypi
 Beans +Older/ densely planted Maize- A.fabae

7. • Reduce attraction of the pest to the host
• Adverse modification of the climatic factor
• Impeded dispersal
• Increase emigration
• Reduced survival of pest in intercrop

8. WATER MANAGEMENT
DROUGHT CONDITION
Loss of turgor
Decrease in sap pressure
Decrease in feeding, reproduction, survival
Increased dispersal
Reduced fecundity- L. erysimi

9.  Increases solute concentration in plant sap
• More availability of free N and carbohydrates
• Higher multiplication of A. craccivora on lentil
and higher dispersal
• In rape high reproduction in B.brassicae
• In mustard higher L. erysimi
• B.Carinata ,B.juncea suffer heavilu- L. erysimi

10.  No difference in A. craccivora and M. pisum
population under irrigated and unirrigated
condition in pea
IRRIGATEED CONDITION
 Increased L. erysimi population
 Two irrigation are best in mustard

11. FERTILITY MANAGEMENT
 N: Low supply
 Higher food consumption
 Prolong feeding
 Poor digestion
 Poor development of insect
 P: Lack – Affects uptake of nutrients
 K:
 Exert balancing effect on N and P
 Increased- better protein synthesis -reduced A.A and sugar in
sap
 Higher amount- higher silica content- hardening of epidermis,
sclerenchymatous tissue and cell wall of parenchyma

12. REMOVAL OF ALTERNATE HOSTS
• Destruction of volunteer GN plants and weeds-
A. craccivora
• Removal of weeds for Peach Leaf Curl Virus-
Brachicaudus helichrysi
• Yellow flowering weeds-M. persicae

13. TRAP CROP
• Indian mustard for the control of B. brassicae
and L. erysimi on Cabbage
• Cabbage (9 rows) + mustard (a paired
rows -1st
row 15D before planting and 2nd
row 25D after cabbage planting)

14. ROUGHING AND AVOIDANCE OF
RATOONING
• Virus affected plants-Banana, Aphid,
Pentalomia nigronervosa
• No ratooning
• No ratoon crop which facilitates banana aphid

15. DISTANCE FROM OTHER CROP
• Toria/sarson away from mustard and other
long duration crop
• Seed plot of potato should be away from
commercial ones
• Seed plot should be located upwind from
commercial potato.

16. APHID RESISTANCE/TOLERANT VARIETIES
• Myzus persicae on tabocco:
• Jamaica, Cuban, Fransons, Little rittendent,
Sumatra
• Lipaphis erysimi on rapeseed mustard
• None have TRUE resistance
• Aphis craccivora on cowpea
• P 1473, P 1476, MS 9369

17. CULTURAL PRACTICES & NATURAL ENEMIES
• SYSTEM PROVIDES
•Vital food
•Shelter
•Resting sites for natural enemies
• Black gram/ Sorghum intercropping – High
population of Coccinella septempunctata
• GN / Pearl millet intercropping – Increases
Ciccunella sp. Menochilus sexmaculatus
• GN / Maize – Increases natural enemies

18. FUTURE RESEARCH NEEDS
• Population dynamics under changing
environmental conditions
• Aphid monitoring for planning cultural methods.
• Nutrient profile in plant and soil.
• Role of water on population dynamics
CULUTRAL CONTROL SHOULD FORM AN
INTEGRAL PART OF IPM

19. BIOCONTROL IN APHIDSBIOCONTROL IN APHIDS

20. Chrysoperla carnea
grub feeding on aphids
Coccinella
septumpunctata adults
feeding on aphids

21. Aphidius adult, parasite
of aphids
Aphidius adult,
parasitising an aphid

22. Aphidius cysts on cabbage leaves

23. Thanks