Model fitting of the seasonal population dynamics of the soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura, in the field

The soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura(Hemiptera: Aphididae), is one of the greatest threats to soybean production, and both trend analysis and periodic analysis of its population dynamics are important for integrated pest management(IPM). Based on systematically investigating soybean aphid populations in the field from 2018 to 2020, this study adopted the inverse logistic model for the first time, and combined it with the classical logistic model to describe the changes in seasonal population abundance from colonization to extinction in the field. Then, the increasing and decreasing phases of the population fluctuation were divided by calculating the inflection points of the models, which exhibited distinct seasonal trends of the soybean aphid populations in each year. In addition, multifactor logistic models were then established for the first time, in which the abundance of soybean aphids in the field changed with time and relevant environmental conditions. This model enabled the prediction of instantaneous aphid abundance at a given time based on relevant meteorological data. Taken as a whole, the successful approaches implemented in this study could be used to build a theoretical framework for practical IPM strategies for controlling soybean aphids.

Soybean aphid intrabiotype variability based on colonization of specific soybean genotypes

The soybean aphid, Aphis glycines Matsumura （Hemiptera： Aphididae）, is one of the most destructive insect pests on soybeans in the United States. One method for managing this pest is through host plant resistance. Since its arrival in 2000, 4 aphid biotypes have been identified that are able to overcome soybean aphid resistance （Rag） genes. A soybean aphid isolate collected from Moline, Illinois readily colonized soybean plants with the soybean aphid resistance gene Rag2, unlike biotypes 1 and 2, but similar to soybean aphid biotype 3. Two no-choice experiments compared the virulence of the Moline isolate with biotype 3. In both experiments, differences in aphid population counts were not significant （P 〉 0.05） on soybean genotypes LD08-12957a （Rag2） and LD11-5413a （Rag2）, but the aphid counts for the Moline isolate were significantly （P 〈 0.05） lower than the aphid counts for the biotype 3 isolate on the soybean genotypes Dowling （Rag1）, LD05-16611 （Rag1）, LD11-4576a （Rag1）, and P1567598B （raglb and rag3）. The Moline isolate was a variant of aphid biotype 3, which is the first report showing that soybean aphid isolates classified as the same biotype, based on virulence against specific Rag genes, can differ in aggressiveness or ability to colonize specific host genotypes.