This document discusses the woolly apple aphid (Eriosoma lanigerum), its biological control agent Aphelinus mali, and their distribution in India. It provides details on the identification, life cycle, and damage caused by E. lanigerum. It describes the introduction of A. mali from the UK and USA to control E. lanigerum populations. Spatial distribution studies in Himachal Pradesh found peak populations of both the aphid and parasitoid coincided in August-October. While A. mali has largely controlled E. lanigerum in India, other management practices like removing water sprouts and using resistant rootstocks also help limit the woolly apple aphid

1. NAME: NIKITA NEGI
PALB8141
AGRIL. ENTOMOLOGY
UAS GKVK BENGALURU
Nikita Negi UAS, Bengaluru
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2. CONTENTS
• Distribution of Eriosoma
lanigerum
• Introduction to India
• Identification
• Life cycle
• Host plants
• Damage
• Distribution of Aphelinus
mali
• Life cycle of A . mali
• Introduction to India
• Spatial distribution of
both pest and host
• Conclusion
• Other predators
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3. WHY WOOLLY APHID ?.................
• Aphid body is covered with thick white flocculent wax.
• This waxy material produced by distinct wax glands on
the head ,thorax and abdomen.
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4. Wax glands on the headDorsal view of aphid
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5. WHY THEY NEED WAXY
COVERING…..?
• To avoid contamination by their own honeydew
• Microclimate isolation
• Protection from fungi, parasites and predators
• Waterproofing and frost protection.
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6. WOOLLY APPLE APHID
Native : Eastern North America
• Woolly apple aphid is a worldwide pest of apple Malus domestica
(Borkhausen)
• It is a native of North America (patch 1913 : greenslade 1936)
• Primary host American elm Ulmus americana (Linnaeus)
(Urticales: Ulmaceae)
• Apple is the secondary host
• first recorded from great Britain
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7. CABI
Distribution of Apple Woolly AphidNikita Negi UAS, Bengaluru
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8. INTRODUCTION TO INDIA
Introduced to India with apple rootstock which are imported from
china
1889 • first introduced to Conoor Tamil Nadu
1909
• Kumaon hills of Uttrakhand
1910 • Shimla Himachal Pradesh
1920 • Spreaded allover apple growing states
Integrated pest management
Dhawan , A.K , Singh ,Balwinder
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9. WOOLLY APPLE APHID
Eriosoma lanigerum
PEMPHIGIDAE : HEMIPTERA
Identification :
• Eriosoma lanigerum wingless females are purple, red or brown and
are covered in thick white flocculent wax (1.5-3mm)
• Insect is bearing a slit like cornicles and short rounded cauda
• Winged viviparous females have a brown-black head and thorax
and a brown abdomen
• The six segmented antennae are 0.17-0.24 times the length of the
body
Wingless females
Winged female
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10. LIFE CYCLE OF WOOLLY APPLE APHID
• Reproduction take place both parthenogenetically or sexually.
• Aphid undergo 4 moults resulting in 5 instars.
• Duration of development and fecundity in summer- 11-13 days and 30- 116 nymph
• In winter: 32-51 days and 20-34 nymphs.
• Aphid overwinter as nymphal instar in roots in winters
• Its activity start from Early summer with warming up of weather.
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11. LIFE CYCLE OF APHID
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12. Nikita Negi UAS, Bengaluru
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13. HOST RANGE
• Cotoneaster
• Crataegus spp.
• Cydonia oblonga (quince)
• Malus (ornamental species apple)
• Malus domestica (apple)
• Malus sylvestris (crab-apple tree)
• Prunus domestica (plum)
• Pyracantha (Firethorn)
• Pyrus communis (European pear)
• Sorbus americana (American mountainash)
Apple pear
Sorbus sppcotoneaster
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14. NATURE OF DAMAGE AND SYMPTOM
• Both nymph and adult are damaging
• It sustains on both aerial and root system
• Root population act as constant source of infestation on aerial part.
• At feeding site cells undergo excessive cell division which leads to galls or knots.
• These galls split in 1-2 month and make plant more susceptible to cankers
• Severe galling at root system interfere with nutrition uptake and leads to yield reduction.
• Infested nursery are the main source of spread of this aphid
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15. Infestation on aerial part Infestation on root part
Root gallsNikita Negi UAS, Bengaluru
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16. BIOCONTROL
Aphelinus mali• Scientific name: Aphelinus mali
family: Aphelinidae
order :Hymenoptera
• Native to North eastern United states
IDENTIFICATION CHARACTER:
• The adult is a tiny black wasp (slightly shorter than the
woolly apple aphid) with short antennae.
• The membranous wings are folded flat over the back, and
extend beyond the tip of the abdomen.
• it prefer jumping rather than flying and preferring to
hide under leaves.
HOST:
• it has been reported to parasitize other aphid species,
BUT its primary economic value is as a woolly apple
aphid parasitoid.
Aphelinus mali
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17. Aphelinus maliLife stages
• Egg : The egg,,is inserted singly into the body of the woolly apple aphid.
• Larva : The larva, which develops inside the aphid's body. The body color is bright yellow, with
red eyes.
• Pupa : The pupa is generally smaller than the larva.
• The thorax is black, and the outlines of legs and other appendages become visible as the pupa
develops.
• The pupal stage is also spent inside the aphid's body.
• Adult : The adult is a tiny black wasp (slightly shorter than the woolly apple aphid) with short
antennae
• The membranous wings are folded flat over the back, and extend beyond the tip of the abdomen.
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18. LIFE CYCLE OF Aphelinus mali
It is capable of parasitizing all stages of
pest
Preference for 3rd instar nymph
Incubation period is 3 days
Larval period is 10-12 days
Total life cycle is 20 to 25 days
A. mali overwinters as a full grown larva
or pupa inside a dead (mummified) body of
a woolly apple aphid.
 Diapause commences in October, and is
completed by late March.
 Emergence of adults corresponds with the
start of nymph production by the woolly
apple aphid in the spring.
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19. 1. Adult searching
3.Parasitized aphid
2. Female laying egg
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20. 4. Larva and Pupa of Aphelinus mali
6.Adult
5. Holes on aphid body after adult emergenceNikita Negi UAS, Bengaluru
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21. • Aphelinus mali has been introduced into many countries in attempts to control E.
lanigerum.
• It was originally native to the USA, but has become acclimatized in Europe.
• Aphelinus mali was introduced in several European countries (1920s and 1930s) ,
Australia, New Zealand (Howard, 1929)
• In New Zealand, Shaw et al. (1996) reported that parasitism exceeded 80% .
• High levels of parasitism by A. mali (80%) were also recorded in Mexico (Tejada and
Rumayor, 1986)
• In India A. mali was introduced from Farnham Laboratory, England, during 1936-37,
and had proved to be successful in controlling E. lanigerum. (Rahman and Khan 1941).
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22. INTRODUCTION OF Aphelinus mali TO INDIA
From U.K in
1928-
Saharanpur
(UP)
not
established
England to
Kullu in
1937
successful
(98%)
(Thakur and
Dogra)
Kashmir
valley
Coonoor
Tamil Nadu
1961 in
Shillong
At present,
it has
established
in all apple
growing
areas of the
country
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23. REASON FOR FAILURE IN
SAHARANPUR
• Intense activity of lady bird beetle (coccinella septempunctata)
• Indiscriminate feeding of coccinellids both on parasitized and
unparasitized aphids.
• Population was not established.
• But the parasitoid has also established itself in all apple-growing areas
of the country, being more effective in valleys rather than on
mountain slopes (Singh, 2004).
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24. SPATIAL DISTRIBUTION OF Eriosoma lanigerum and Aphelinus mali
1. Study Area
• The study was conducted at the experimental farm of the UHF NAUNI Regional Horticultural Research
Station and KVK, Sharbo, Kinnaur, Himachal Pradesh)
• It is situated in western Himalaya (altitude 2250 m above mean sea level, 31.54N latitude and 78.27E
longitude).
2. Sampling of E. lanigerum and A. mali
• Seasonal abundance of the apple woolly aphid and A. mali was studied on 20 years old apple (cv.
Oregon Spur) trees.
• 10 plants having apple woolly aphid infestation were selected at random.
• from this 100 infested shoots (*20 cm long) selected on these plants
• From this 100 infested shoots 10 were taken at random to count the number of aphids and the
parasitoids (number of mummies) at 21 days interval from June to December, during 2013 and
2014.
• The data is used to calculate the mean density and the per cent parasitization.Nikita Negi UAS, Bengaluru
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25. Nikita Negi UAS, Bengaluru
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26. Nikita Negi UAS, Bengaluru
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27. 2013
• For Eriosoma
• Activity started from 24th June
• Two peak population are observed in 2013 ie on 26th August (115.3) and 28th October
(129.6)
• For Parasitioid (Aphelinus mali):
• Activity started in June
• Two peak population in August and October
2014
• For Eriosoma
• Activity started from 6th June
• Two peak populations are observed in 2014 i.e. on 29th august and 31st October.
• For parasitoid
• Two peak population September ( 63 %) and October (61%)
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28. CONCLUSION
• Parasitoid coincided with the peak population of the aphid.
• In a similar study, Sood and Gupta reported two peaks of E. lanigerum, first before
August and second during October under mid-hill conditions of Himachal Pradesh.
• A. mali showed a density dependent effect on its host by increasing and decreasing its
population with the increase and decrease in the population of its host.
• This specialist parasitoid if carefully conserved in the apple ecosystem is capable of
suppressing the apple woolly aphid.
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29. Production procedure :
1.The parasitoid is produced on the potted plants of apple
2.first infested with Eriosoma lanigerum and then exposed
to Aphelinus mali.
3. The parasitoid has not been produced on a large scale
but sufficient quantities are produced for inoculative
releases. NBAIR
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30. OTHER PREDATORS
Coccinella septempunctata
Brinckochrysa scelestes
Eupeodes confrator
Forficula auricularia
Exochomus quadripustulatus
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31. OTHER MANAGEMENT PRACTICES
• Raise new apple orchard by planting healthy aphid free plants.
• Removal of excessive water sprouts from basin.
• Covering cracks and crevices and wounds with paint recommended for canker treatment
prevent establishment of aphid on such loci.
• Drenching root system with chlorpyriphos (0.1%)help in reducing root population.
• Rootstocks of MM series and Merton series 778,779,793 and M21 show resistance to aphid.
• Spray of insecticides should be avoided in April –may where predator activity are high.
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32. REFERENCES
1.CABI.org
2.Some success stories in classical biological control in india (APARI)
3.A review of the history and results of biocontrol of apple woolly aphid by clausen 1978
4. Sharma P. L., chandel, R. S .2016. Spatial distribution and interaction of Eriosoma lanigera and
Aphelinus mali on apple under dry temperate condition of India.
5. "Woolly Aphid". Royal Horticultural Society. 2017.
6. Biology and Management of Woolly Apple Aphid :S. D. Cockfield and E. H. Beers
Washington State University, Tree Fruit Research and Extension Center, 1100 North Western
Avenue, Wenatchee, WA, 98801Nikita Negi UAS, Bengaluru
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