The large raspberry aphid (Amphorophora idaei) is the most important aphid species found on raspberry in the UK and northern Europe. Large populations can cause direct feeding damage to susceptible cultivars, but its major importance is as a vector of raspberry viruses that cause serious decreases in plant vigour. Several generations are produced by asexual reproduction during the summer with the largest numbers being found close to fruit harvest on primocanes. In autumn, males and females are produced and they mate and eggs are laid on the primocanes. Effective major gene resistance is known and has been incorporated into several UK cvs from the breeding programmes at SCRI and East Malling Research, but this natural plant resistance has broken down in some areas of England. As a result, the main UK cultivars in current production (Glen Ample and Tulameen) are not resistant to the large raspberry aphid and insecticide applications are only partly effective in preventing spread of viruses the transmit. With the breakdown in natural resistance and the possibility of increased contamination of fruit at harvest there is now a great urgency to identify and incorporate new aphid resistance genes into the current raspberry breeding programmes.
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Large raspberry aphid |
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