Biological features and life table parameters of the mealy plum aphidHyalopterus pruni on different apricot cultivars

Development, survival, reproduction rate, and population growth parameters of the mealy plum aphidHyalopterus pruni (Geoffroy) (Hom.: Aphididae) were evaluated on four different apricot cultivars (Tyrinte, Sakıt, Colomer, and Bebeco) under field conditions in the Van region of Turkey. Experiments were carried out on exterior leaves of trees, 1.5–2 m above the ground. Plexiglas clip-cells (25×6 mm) with the upper side covered by muslin were used in the experiments. The mealy plum aphid performed better on Tyrinte than on the other cultivars tested. The fastest development time (first instar to adult; 9.4 days), highest daily reproduction rate (2.6 offspring/aphid/day), and highest total fecundity (48.1 offspring/aphid) were obtained on Tyrinte. The intrinsic rate of increase — a good indicator of the growth potential of a population — of individuals fed on Tyrinte was significantly greater than that of individuals fed on cvs. Colomer and Bebeco. While mean generation times (T _o ) of populations on different cultivars were close to each other, the net reproductive rate was the highest (29.45 offspring/aphid/generation) on Tyrinte and the population doubling time on Tyrinte was 18.7%, 25.2% and 26.3% faster than those of individuals on other cultivars tested. The results obtained in this study indicated that Tyrinte appeared to be the most susceptible to the mealy plum aphid among the cultivars tested. http://www.phytoparasitica.org. posting Nov. 23, 2004.     

Kohlfliegenauftreten im Raps

A new pest in oilseed rape the cabbage root fly (Delia radicum L.) has succeded to establish – at least regional –during the recent years. It is not easy to monitor the cabbage root fly. Although the usual yellow water trap works quite well, it is still difficult for the farmers to determine Delia radicum exactly. The amount of infestation can be assessed best in the middle of November by analysing the damages of the roots. In this article a classification scheme is proposed. It is also difficult to control this pest. While applications of Pyrethroids against the imagines and the use of Dimethoat against the larva mostly showed only little effect in the tests, some new dressing-substances proved better against the standard “Chinook” (Imidacloprid+beta-Cyfluthrin). To forward this research and to clarify factors, which influence the infestation, a project titled “Possibilities of defence and control of cabbage root fly in winter oilseed rape” has been started in November 2003. Eight crop-protection services at German Federal State level and the BBA are involved in this project, which is supported by UFOP.     

Identification of Resistance to Common Bacterial Blight Disease on Bean Genotypes Grown in Turkey

Common bacterial blight (CBB) in edible beans (Phaseolus vulgaris), incited Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli, reduces bean yields and seed quality. The main objective of this study was to determine resistance to common bacterial blight in bean genotypes. Twenty-two bean genotypes grown in Turkey including common and snap bean cultivars/lines were collected from different parts of Turkey and tested for resistance against to Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli strain MFD-11. All the common and snap bean lines/cultivars tested were moderately susceptible, susceptible or highly susceptible, except AG-7117 which was found resistant to Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli. This is the first report of a resistance source in a common bean line (AG-7117) against Xanthomonas campestris pv. phaseoli.     

Population dynamics and habitat connectivity affecting the spatial spread of populations – a simulation study

In this paper we show how the spatialconfiguration of habitat quality affects the spatial spread of apopulation in a heterogeneous environment. Our main result is thatfor species with limited dispersal ability and a landscape withisolated habitats, stepping stone patches of habitat greatlyincrease the ability of species to disperse. Our results showthat increasing reproductive rate first enables and thenaccelerates spatial spread, whereas increasing the connectivity has aremarkable effect only in case of low reproductive rates. Theimportance of landscape structure varied according to thedemographic characteristics of the population. To show this wepresent a spatially explicit habitat model taking into accountpopulation dynamics and habitat connectivity. The population dynamicsare based on a matrix projection model and are calculated on eachcell of a regular lattice. The parameters of the Leslie matrix dependon habitat suitability as well as density. Dispersal between adjacentcells takes place either unrestricted or with higher probability inthe direction of a higher habitat quality (restricted dispersal).Connectivity is maintained by corridors and stepping stones ofoptimal habitat quality in our fragmented model landscape containinga mosaic of different habitat suitabilities. The cellular automatonmodel serves as a basis for investigating different combinations ofparameter values and spatial arrangements of cells with high and lowquality.This revised version was published online in May 2005 with corrections to the Cover Date.