Much has been written about the possible role of climatic factors in relation to aphid feeding or reproduction. However, a little is known about the nutritional requirements of aphids. According to the opinion postulated by AUCLAIR (1963) the subject of aphid feeding and nutrition is considered in its broader sense, and is being treated with special reference to the physiological and biochemical aspects, with occasional reference to the morphologic, behavioural, and ecological aspects. With these points in mind, in the present article, an account is given of the results obtained on the reproduction of the apple leaf-curling aphids,
Myzus malisuctus, and its relation to nutritional change of plants, moisture condition of environment, and ecological and behavioural natures of aphids.
In addition to above aspect, it has generally been recognized that the
Myzus aphids prefer the actively growing shoots of apple tree, and that infestation and reinfestation, as a rule, take place on the immature leaves rather than on mature ones in a branch of tree. This would lead to the assumption that one reason of this may lie in the nutritional difference between the immature leaves and mature foliages. As might firstly be expected, the number of
Myzus aphids settled on a leaf and reproduction rate on young leaves of apple seedling increased when greater amount of nitrogen was supplied, because increasing nitrogen supply to apple seedling may increase nitrogen uptake, and raises the level of soluble nitrogen in the plants (GOODALL and GREGORY, 1947).
Up to the present time, it has been said that the aphids more produce under the moderately moistened condition in a given circumstance than in highly moistened area or very wet weather condition. From the tests carried out in this chapter, we may say then that the reproduction of
Myzus aphids was accelerated with decreasing moisture in the rearing cage used, although there was not always a very sharp limit between treatments. This may help to explain the remarkable persistence of aphid reproduction during dry season.
In connection with such a nature of this aphid, we do not yet know enough about the limiting factor of reproduction. Therefore the aphids were thirdly reared on leaves of apple seedlings kept on normal and inverse positions. Without question, aphids tended to move vigorously to the terminal leaves of tree regardless of position of leaves set in test. This would only hold true that the situation of this species that prefer the immature leaves will depend on the exact nature of physiological requirement rather than on the negative-geotropism of aphids.
Fourthly,
Myzus aphid tended to produce larvae on the lower surface of apple foliages than on upper surface of leaves, and infestation accordingly taken place mostly on the former area. Further-more, there was not a reasonable close relation between the fecundity of aphids and light condition within a experimentally given circumstance. That is to say, the aphid movement to the lower surface of young leaves and reproduction on these leaves were observed regardless of light or dark conditions applied. Taking in conjunction with these descriptions together, at least it may be suggested that a plentiful hair insertion on lower surface of apple leaves would be led the leaf preference of aphids compared with less number of hair on upper surface (HUKUSTMA and ANDÔ, 1967).
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