Definition and linkage of parasitoid guilds for aphids in potatoes and rabbitbrush

Rabbitbrush (Chrysothamnus) is common across central Washington and often found in close proximity to potatoes, but its value as a conservation reservoir and source of parasitoids of merit for Green Peach Aphid (Myzus Persicae) (GPA) is unknown.

In this study we documented the aphids and their hymenopterous parasitoids associated with two common native sagebrush steppe plants, Chrysothamnus nauseosus (Pall.) Britt (Asteraceae) and Chrysothamnus viscidiflorus (Hook,) Nutt. (Asteraceae). The objective was to determine whether the parasitic insects attacking the aphids on potatoes in central Washington also inhabit the neighboring sagebrush steppe’s rabbitbrush plants. The aphid parasitoids of rabbitbrush, their hosts preferences, seasonal occurrence, population densities, and linkage with GPA was explored and characterized through extensive field collections, lab-holdings, and rearings.