Impact of soybean aphid resistant cultivar containing Rag1 gene on parasitoid fitness

The goal of this research is to integrate the use of beneficial insects and aphid resistance breeding to mitigate damage by the soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura, on soybeans in North Dakota. The compatibility of a soybean cultivar containing the Rag1 gene for resistance to soybean aphid was determined for the parasitoid Binodoxys communis (Gahan) Harbin strain (Hymenoptera: Braconidae). This poster will discuss several fitness traits, such as adult size, development time, sex ratio, parasitization and emergence rates. Effective integration of both approaches promises to dramatically reduce the need for costly chemical control of soybean aphid.