Myzus persicae
Encyclopedia
Myzus persicae, known as the green peach aphid, is a small green aphid
. It is the most significant aphid pest of peach
trees, causing decreased growth, shriveling of the leaves and the death of various tissues. It is also hazardous because it acts as a vector for the transport of plant virus
es, such as potato virus Y
and potato leafroll virus
to members of the nightshade/potato family Solanaceae
, and various mosaic viruses to many other food crops.
The green peach aphid is found worldwide, although it is less tolerant of colder climates and overwinters through its eggs, laid in trees of the genus Prunus
. The aphid is also benefited from the presence of greenhouses in these areas.
Originally described by Swiss entomologist Johann Heinrich Sulzer
in 1776, its specific name is derived from the Latin
genitive persicae "of the peach".
Adult green peach aphids appear in the summer, and are 1.8 to 2.1 mm long; the head and thorax are black, and the abdomen yellow-green with a dark patch on the back. The nymphs are at first greenish, then yellowish in colour; those that become winged females may be pinkish. Wingless adults resemble nymphs and are 1.7 to 2.0 mm long.
In the warmer months, and throughout the year in warmer climates, the green peach aphid reproduces asexually
(the quicker method); adults lay nymphs on a wide variety of herbaceous plant material, including many vegetable crops such as cabbage and its Brassica
relatives, potato and other crops of the family solanaceae
, celery, mustard, pepper, pumpkin, okra, corn, and sunflower and other flower crops. Herbaceous weeds, such as white goosefoot (Chenopodium album
) and common tumble weed (Amaranthus retroflexus
) in the United States, also act as hosts. An individual can reproduce twelve days after being born and there may be twenty generations over the course of a year in warmer areas. As the weather cools, aphids mate and lay their tiny (0.6 mm x 0.3 mm) oval eggs in crevices of the bark of Prunus trees.
The green peach aphid is an agricultural pest across the United States and worldwide, including Australia. Although insecticides are used to control it, it develops resistance. Many of its natural enemies can be used as biological control agents in certain crops, such as ladybirds (Coccinellidae
) in radish crops, and the wasp Diaeretiella rapae
in broccoli.
Among the natural enemies of the M. persicae are both predators and parasitoid
s, including: beetle
s such as the ladybirds
the two-spotted ladybird (Adalia bipunctata), seven-spotted ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata
) and ten-spotted ladybird (Adalia decempunctata
), true bugs such as the anthocorids
or pirate bugs of the genera Orius
and Anthocoris; neuroptera
ns such as green lacewings
of the genera Chrysopa
and Chrysoperla
, hoverflies such as Syrphus
, Scaeva
, Episyrphus
, gall midges
such as Aphidolestes, aphid parasitoids such as Aphidius, and parasitic wasps of the family Braconidae
. They are also colonised and killed by the insect pathogenic fungi of the order Entomophthorales
.
An international team of scientists in 2007 studied the peach aphid's genome in the hope of understanding more about its adaptability, in search of new ways of controlling it.
Aphid
Aphids, also known as plant lice and in Britain and the Commonwealth as greenflies, blackflies or whiteflies, are small sap sucking insects, and members of the superfamily Aphidoidea. Aphids are among the most destructive insect pests on cultivated plants in temperate regions...
. It is the most significant aphid pest of peach
Peach
The peach tree is a deciduous tree growing to tall and 6 in. in diameter, belonging to the subfamily Prunoideae of the family Rosaceae. It bears an edible juicy fruit called a peach...
trees, causing decreased growth, shriveling of the leaves and the death of various tissues. It is also hazardous because it acts as a vector for the transport of plant virus
Plant virus
Plant viruses are viruses that affect plants. Like all other viruses, plant viruses are obligate intracellular parasites that do not have the molecular machinery to replicate without a host. Plant viruses are pathogenic to higher plants...
es, such as potato virus Y
Potato virus Y
Potato virus Y is a plant pathogenic virus of the family Potyviridae, and one of the most important plant viruses affecting potato production....
and potato leafroll virus
Potato leafroll virus
Potato leafroll virus is a member of the genus Polerovirus and family Luteoviridae. The phloem limited positive sense RNA virus infects potatos and other members of the family Solanaceae. PLRV was first described by Quanjer et. al. in 1916. PLRV is transmitted by aphids, primarily the green...
to members of the nightshade/potato family Solanaceae
Solanaceae
Solanaceae are a family of flowering plants that include a number of important agricultural crops as well as many toxic plants. The name of the family comes from the Latin Solanum "the nightshade plant", but the further etymology of that word is unclear...
, and various mosaic viruses to many other food crops.
The green peach aphid is found worldwide, although it is less tolerant of colder climates and overwinters through its eggs, laid in trees of the genus Prunus
Prunus
Prunus is a genus of trees and shrubs, which includes the plums, cherries, peaches, apricots and almonds. There are around 430 species spread throughout the northern temperate regions of the globe. Many members of the genus are widely cultivated for fruit and ornament.-Botany:Members of the genus...
. The aphid is also benefited from the presence of greenhouses in these areas.
Originally described by Swiss entomologist Johann Heinrich Sulzer
Johann Heinrich Sulzer
Johann Heinrich Sulzer was a Swiss entomologist.Sulzer was a resident of Winterthur. He was the author of Die Kennzeichen der Insekten, nach Anleitung des Königl and Abgekurzte Geschichte der Insecten nach dern Linnaeischen System , two of the first books on insects to adopt Carolus Linnaeus's...
in 1776, its specific name is derived from the Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
genitive persicae "of the peach".
Adult green peach aphids appear in the summer, and are 1.8 to 2.1 mm long; the head and thorax are black, and the abdomen yellow-green with a dark patch on the back. The nymphs are at first greenish, then yellowish in colour; those that become winged females may be pinkish. Wingless adults resemble nymphs and are 1.7 to 2.0 mm long.
In the warmer months, and throughout the year in warmer climates, the green peach aphid reproduces asexually
Asexual reproduction
Asexual reproduction is a mode of reproduction by which offspring arise from a single parent, and inherit the genes of that parent only, it is reproduction which does not involve meiosis, ploidy reduction, or fertilization. A more stringent definition is agamogenesis which is reproduction without...
(the quicker method); adults lay nymphs on a wide variety of herbaceous plant material, including many vegetable crops such as cabbage and its Brassica
Brassica
Brassica is a genus of plants in the mustard family . The members of the genus may be collectively known either as cabbages, or as mustards...
relatives, potato and other crops of the family solanaceae
Solanaceae
Solanaceae are a family of flowering plants that include a number of important agricultural crops as well as many toxic plants. The name of the family comes from the Latin Solanum "the nightshade plant", but the further etymology of that word is unclear...
, celery, mustard, pepper, pumpkin, okra, corn, and sunflower and other flower crops. Herbaceous weeds, such as white goosefoot (Chenopodium album
Chenopodium album
Chenopodium album is a fast-growing weedy annual plant in the genus Chenopodium.Though cultivated in some regions, the plant is elsewhere considered a weed...
) and common tumble weed (Amaranthus retroflexus
Amaranthus retroflexus
Amaranthus retroflexus is a species of flowering plant in the Amaranthaceae family with several common names, including Red-root Amaranth, Redroot Pigweed, Red Rooted Pigweed, Common Amaranth, and common tumble weed....
) in the United States, also act as hosts. An individual can reproduce twelve days after being born and there may be twenty generations over the course of a year in warmer areas. As the weather cools, aphids mate and lay their tiny (0.6 mm x 0.3 mm) oval eggs in crevices of the bark of Prunus trees.
The green peach aphid is an agricultural pest across the United States and worldwide, including Australia. Although insecticides are used to control it, it develops resistance. Many of its natural enemies can be used as biological control agents in certain crops, such as ladybirds (Coccinellidae
Coccinellidae
Coccinellidae is a family of beetles, known variously as ladybirds , or ladybugs . Scientists increasingly prefer the names ladybird beetles or lady beetles as these insects are not true bugs...
) in radish crops, and the wasp Diaeretiella rapae
Diaeretiella rapae
Diaeretiella rapae is a cosmopolitan parasitoid of many species of aphids, but especially the cabbage aphid, Brevicoryne brassicae. It is the only species in the genus Diaeretiella...
in broccoli.
Among the natural enemies of the M. persicae are both predators and parasitoid
Parasitoid
A parasitoid is an organism that spends a significant portion of its life history attached to or within a single host organism in a relationship that is in essence parasitic; unlike a true parasite, however, it ultimately sterilises or kills, and sometimes consumes, the host...
s, including: beetle
Beetle
Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
s such as the ladybirds
Coccinellidae
Coccinellidae is a family of beetles, known variously as ladybirds , or ladybugs . Scientists increasingly prefer the names ladybird beetles or lady beetles as these insects are not true bugs...
the two-spotted ladybird (Adalia bipunctata), seven-spotted ladybird (Coccinella septempunctata
Coccinella septempunctata
Coccinella septempunctata, the seven-spot ladybird , is the most common ladybird in Europe...
) and ten-spotted ladybird (Adalia decempunctata
Adalia decempunctata
Adalia decempunctata, commonly known as the ten-spotted ladybird or ten-spotted lady beetle, is a carnivorous beetle of the family Coccinellidae....
), true bugs such as the anthocorids
Anthocoridae
The Anthocoridae are a family of bugs, commonly called minute pirate bugs or flower bugs.-Name:The vernacular name probably stems from the notion that these very small animals can do much pain to humans, just like small pirate vessels can do so to big ships.The scientific name is a combination of...
or pirate bugs of the genera Orius
Orius
The genus Orius consists of omnivorous bugs in the family Anthocoridae . Adults are 2–5 mm long and feed mostly on spider mites, thrips, and their eggs, but will also feed on pollen and vascular sap .These predators are common in gardens and landscapes...
and Anthocoris; neuroptera
Neuroptera
The insect order Neuroptera, or net-winged insects, includes the lacewings, mantidflies, antlions, and their relatives. The order contains some 6,010 species...
ns such as green lacewings
Chrysopidae
Green lacewings are insects in the large family Chrysopidae of the order Neuroptera. There are about 85 genera and 1,300–2,000 species in this widespread group...
of the genera Chrysopa
Chrysopa
Chrysopa is a genus of green lacewings in the insect family Chrysopidae in the order Neuroptera.Members of this genus and the genus Chrysoperla are common in much of North America, Europe and Asia. They share similar characteristics and some species have been moved from one genus to the other and...
and Chrysoperla
Chrysoperla
Chrysoperla is a genus of green lacewings in the insect family Chrysopidae in the order Neuroptera. Therein they belong to the Chrysopini, the largest tribe of subfamily Chrysopinae....
, hoverflies such as Syrphus
Syrphus
Syrphus is a genus of hoverflies..It can be distinguished from other genera of the tribe Syrphini because it is the only genus that has long hairs on the upper surface of the lower lobe of the calypter...
, Scaeva
Scaeva
Scaeva is a genus of hoverflies.-Species:*Scaeva albomaculata *Scaeva dignota *Scaeva mecogramma *Scaeva pyrastri *Scaeva selenitica...
, Episyrphus
Episyrphus
Episyrphus is a genus of hoverflies in the subfamily Syrphinae. Larvae are predatory, often on aphids. One species, E. balteatus is very cosmopolitan.-Species:*E. balteatus *E. nigromarginatus Vockeroth, 1973...
, gall midges
Cecidomyiidae
Cecidomyiidae is a family of flies known as gall midges or gall gnats. As the name implies, the larvae of most gall midges feed within plant tissue, creating abnormal plant growths called galls.These are very fragile small insects usually only 2–3 mm in length and many are less than...
such as Aphidolestes, aphid parasitoids such as Aphidius, and parasitic wasps of the family Braconidae
Braconidae
Braconidae is a family of parasitoid wasps and one of the richest families of insects. Between 50,000 and 150,000 species exist worldwide. The species are grouped into about 45 subfamilies and 1,000 genera, some important ones being: Ademon, Aphanta, Asobara, Bracon hebetor, Cenocoelius, Chaenusa,...
. They are also colonised and killed by the insect pathogenic fungi of the order Entomophthorales
Entomophthorales
The Entomophthorales are an order of fungi that were previously classified in the class Zygomycetes. A new subphylum, Entomophthoromycotina, has recently been described for them.Most species of the Entomophthorales are pathogens of insects...
.
An international team of scientists in 2007 studied the peach aphid's genome in the hope of understanding more about its adaptability, in search of new ways of controlling it.