Field observations of the cotton aphid, Aphis gossypii Glover indicated an increase in the percentage of winged aphids in cotton fields sprayed with imidacloprid. A laboratory experiment was conducted during the summer of 2002 using the spray booth at the University of Arkansas to evaluate the extent of wing formation in offspring from treated apterous adult cotton aphids. Treatments consisted of imidacloprid applied at a rate near the LC50 concentration (1 oz/A) and a water-treatment control. Ten days post application, aphids in the imidacloprid treatment had a significantly higher percentage of alate offspring. This suggests an increase in the proportion of winged aphids among survivors of an imidacloprid treatment that will disperse or migrate from the field. Winged aphids have a longer developmental time and reduced fecundity. Additionally, dispersing aphids have an increased risk of mortality.
Species 1: Homoptera Aphididae Aphis gossypii (cotton aphid, melon aphid)
Keywords: imidacloprid, wing formation
Back to Student Competition Ten-Minute Papers, Section F. Crop Protection Entomology
Back to Student Competition 10-minute Paper
Back to The 2002 ESA Annual Meeting and Exhibition