Effect of Temperature on Reproductive Investment, Growth and Population Increase in Melon aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover

抄録

1. Effect of temperature on reproductive investment and population increase in melon aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover was studied under controlled conditions of 16L: 8D and 75±5% RH using brinjal (Solanum melongena) as host plant.

2. Four different levels of temperature viz. 15°C, 20°C, 25°C and 30°C were considered as treatments.

3. Body weights of newly born nymphs and freshly moulted adults, development time, mean relative growth rate (mrgr), intrinsic rate of population increase (r_m), number and size of embryos in freshly moulted adult apterae, net reproductive rate (R0), capacity for increase (r_c) and finite capacity of natural increase (λ) were measured.

4. The study revealed a significant influence of temperature on aphids in investment of embryos and its subsequent population build up where the temperature 20° -25°C was found conducive for this aphid species for its rapid growth and population development.

5. A significant positive relationship was found between mrgr (x) and r_m (y) under all the studied temperature.