Project Number: 6217-22000-013-06
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Aug 31, 2006
End Date: Aug 30, 2010

Objective:
The objective of this cooperative research project is to conduct field experiments to assess the role of plant resistance and natural enemies on cereal aphid populations. This project will also determine the role of associated non-cultivated hosts on pest and natural enemy abundance.

Approach:
Replicated field plots will be sampled at locations in Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Texas, and Wyoming. Insects will be collected from within resistant and susceptible wheat fields and the adjoining non-cultivated vegetation using a customized a D-vac system. Plant and insect samples will be analyzed to identify and characterize the resident communities. All cereal aphids and their natural enemies will be identified to species, and their population densities, host associations, dispersal patterns, and seasonal dynamics will be determined. The findings from this research will provide fundamental information on cereal aphid demographics with respect to their natural enemies and non-cultivated host plants.