ABSTRACT
Presence of biotype C of the aphid Schízaphís gramínum in the Metropolitan Region, and its feeding behavior

Gustavo Zúñiga N.1, Victor Argandoña C.1 y Luis Corcuera P.1
 

The identification of biotype C of the aphid Schizaphis graminum was done by studying the morphological characteristics and the susceptibility of different sorghum cultivars. Three sorghum cultivars (VONA, TAM 107, and SH-1) and one barley cultivar (F. Unión) were infested with S. graminum originally collected in the Metropolitan Region of Chile. Aphid number increase was higher in the cultivars F. Unión and VONA, than in the others. The aphids ingested for long periods from the phloem of the VONA cultivar. In cultivars TAM-l07 and SH-1, the time of ingestion from the phloem decreased considerably. Ingestion from non-phloem material was similar in all sorghum cultivars. Based on this results and on the morphological characteristics of the insect, the presence of the biotype C of S. graminum in the Metropolitan Region is informed.

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1 Fac. de Ciencias, Univ. de Chile, Casilla 653, Santiago, Chile.