Weeds as host for aphids in potato crop fields in Salta province, Argentina

MARÍA DEL MILAGRO SAID ADAMO; CRISTINA RENATA MACHADO ASSEFH; SABRINA DANIELA CORTÉZ; ADRIANA ELISABET ALVAREZ

Madrid

Simposio; HPIS 2017 Hemipteran-Plant Interactions Symposium; 2017

CSIC - Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas

Among diseases that affect potatoes, viruses are particularly important because viral particles can remain in the tubers, and since the potato crop reproduces vegetatively, viruses can persist for a long time causing severe losses due to decreased yield or quality. The most important potato viruses are the PVY (Potato virus Y) and PLRV (Potato leafroll virus). These viruses are efficiently transmitted by Myzus persicae and Macrosiphon euphorbiae, which are highly polyphagous aphids being able to infest a large diversity of plants belonging to more than 40 botanical families. Many vectors hosts have also been described as PLRV and PVY reservoirs (Solanaceae, Brassicaceae, Amaranthaceae, Nolanaceae and Portulacaceae). In Argentina, little is known about the plant species surrounding the potato fields that are hosts for vectors or reservoirs for plant viruses. Successive samplings were carried out at 3 potato production sites in the Salta province (Argentina) during 2015 and 2016. Samples of weeds and wild plants with aphids? colonies were taken from the areas around the production lots. Each plant sample was cleaned with a brush to remove the aphids, and processed for its determination in the botanical lab using keys. Herbarium specimens were preserved for each of the species of plants collected. The aphids collected were preserved in 70% alcohol for later identification. We determined 28 weeds and wild plants that were hosts for aphid vectors of potato viral diseases. Macrosiphum euphorbiae and Myzus persicae, among other aphid species, were detected in the 3 sites studied.