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Insecta, Homoptera, Aphididae .

Bird-cherry aphid, Apple grain aphid

Description, Biology, Life Cycle, Damage, Common Names, Images

[R]Biology
- The bird cherry (Prunus padus) is primary host and Gramineae, especially maize, barley, oats and wheat are secondary hosts.
- Winter eggs are laid on bird cherry. In spring, a fundatrix and 2 or 3 generations of fundatrigeniae develop on it, causing the leaves of young twigs to become crinkled.
Winged fundatrigeniae migrate to Gramineae, especially maize, firstly spreading to the space between the stem and the sheath of leaves, under the husks of maize or to the underside of leaves (*) . After flowering, aphids develop on the panicles, top leaves and ears.
In the autumn, winged males are produced there and return to the primary host. Winged gynoparae from Gramineae give rise to apterous oviparous females on the primary host.

[R]Life Cycle
- Present as early as June on Gramineae and mainly on maize, this species occurs in large numbers, especially in autumn from September to November, when climatic conditions become unfavourable to the development of mycoses and aphid-eating insects. Towards the end of the growth cycle of maize, Rhopalosiphum padi returns to winter cereal seedlings.
- In regions where intensive cereal cultivation is carried out, aphids become anholocyclic when primary hosts are rare.

[R]Damage
- Feeding causes the leaves of Gramineae to roll and form a spiral. Spring cereals are most affected.
- R. padi also transmits several cereal virus diseases, being the principal vector of barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV). Affected barley turns yellow.

[R] Images

1. Rhopalosiphum padi (L.) (Coutin R. / OPIE)
   Young colony on leaf of wheat
2. Rhopalosiphum padi (L.) (Coutin R. / OPIE)
   Colony on leaf of wheat It is possible to see droplets of honeydew.
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3. Rhopalosiphum padi (L.) (Coutin R. / OPIE)
   Colony on leaf of maize in summer