Studies on the soybean aphid, Aphid glycines Matsumura - Wang, Cheng Lun; Xiang, Liang Ying; Zhang, Guang Xue; Zhu, Hong Fu (My University, 2017)
The soybean aphid is widely distributed among all major soybean growing regions in China. It causes severe damage in Jilin, Liaoning, and Helongjiang Provinces, and part of the inner Mongolian autonomous region, and those areas are often called aphid-stricken areas. Its hosts include wild soybean (Glycine benth forma lanceolate Makino), buckthorn (Rhamnus davuricus) as well as soybean. Results of field investigation and inoculation experiments confirmed that the widely distributed buckthorn in the Northern Provinces is the over-wintering host for soybean aphids. According to the life cycle of aphids and their characteristic damage to soybeans, three different periods of impact can be recognized: 1) starting from seedling stage to blooming stage (mid-July), the aphid population reaches its peak point. About 50-70% of the whole aphid population colonizes on the tender leaves and twigs on top of the soy plants. The soybean damage caused during this period has the worst impact on the plants. 2) During the third ten days of July when the soybean plants cease to grow, aphids then migrate from the top leaves and twigs to the middle or lower ones and feed on the underside of the leaves. At the same time, the young nymphs appear. The aphid population grows slowly, and their damage to soybean plants is at a low tide. 3) From late August -- the late pod bearing period -- to early September -- the yellow maturing period -- aphids start their late multiplying stage. In late Fall, aphids migrate back to buckthorn, their overwintering host, and oviposit overwintering eggs after mating. During Fall, the male aphids and the ovipositional female aphids are living on different hosts. Gynoparae live on buckthorn, and the male aphids live on soybean. Aphids reproduce 15 generations a year on soybean. After analyzing the life cycle of aphids, their growth pattern in the field, as well as the meteorological data in recent years, we came to preliminary results about the growth and decline pattern of aphids and their affecting factors: 1) the more the overwintering eggs and aphids numbers were at the seedling stage, the more severe their impact on seedlings; 2) Average temperatures between 22-25 °C and relative humidity below 78% from late June to early July greatly favored the growth and reproduction of aphids. Even if the original aphid population is small, severe aphid epidemics still could occur during the blooming period in July because aphids reproduced very quickly under those favorable weather conditions; 3) As the growth points ceased growing in late July and the nutrient condition deteriorated, the aphid population declined. In summary, we may make long- or short-term predictions of aphid epidemics based on the number of overwintering eggs, meteorological data, and current and past aphid information. Based on the results of several years’ laboratory and field experiments, the following aphid control measures achieved very good results: 0.5% lindane (benzene hexachloride, or BHC), 1 to 300-400 diluted 6% BHC wettable powder, 1 to 15000 diluted E605 (parathion), 1 to 100 diluted tobacco leaf solution, and seed coating with 20% BHC. Among these methods, 0.5% BHC powder and seed coating with 0.7% of 20% BHC have been widely used in agricultural practice.
Originating text in Chinese.
Citation: Wang, Cheng Lun, Xiang, Liang Ying, Zhang, Guang Xue, Zhu, Hong Fu. (1962). Studies on the soybean aphid, Aphid glycines Matsumura. Acta Entomologica Sinica, 11, 31-44.