Flight dynamics and species composition of aphids landing on plum and apricot leaves in the orchards in Western Serbia

Abstract

More than 40 different aphid species (Hemiptera: Aphididae) landing on plum and apricot trees were captured with Sticky shoot method and identified in the experimental orchards in Western Serbia during 2009-2011. The most abundant species found in 2009 and 2011 belongs to the genus Aphis. In 2010, Myzocallis spp. were most abundant. Specimens of the genus Muscaphis were found for the first time in Serbia. The aphid population dynamics varied greatly during the growing season. Spring peaks of aphid populations were evidenced in all 3 years in the period of May-June. Autumn peaks were recorded during the period of August-September in 2009 and 2011, but not in 2010. Twelve out of more than twenty species reported in the literature as a potential Plum pox virus (PPV) vectors were found in the orchards. Rhopalosiphum padi (Linnaeus), Aphis fabae Scopoli, Aphis craccivora Koch and invasive aphid species Aphis spiraecola Patch were the most common potential PPV vectors found. Other known PPV vectors were present in much lower specimen numbers in the following decreasing order: Hyalopterus pruni (Geoffroy), Phorodon humuli (Schrank), Brachycaudus helichrysi (Kaltenbach), Myzus persicae (Sulzer), Brachycaudus cardui (Linnaeus), Aphis gossypi Glover, Macrosiphum rosae (Linnaeus) and Metopolophium dirhodum (Walker). During all 3 years, statistically significantly greater number of known PPV vectors were captured on the plum trees during the spring peaks compared to the autumn peaks. The number of known PPV vectors captured during the spring peaks on the plum trees was also significantly larger than the number of known vectors captured on the apricot trees.