Aphid seasonality and host plant relationship: A Review

Abstract

Aphids are harmful agricultural insect pests that feed on the phloem sap of their hosts, infecting them with diseases. Plant-aphid interaction is a dynamic system that is always changing and varying. During their life cycle, several aphid species change their host plant. They travel between main and secondary host plant species in the spring and fall. This host shift has happened due to the phloem sap's nutritional importance and necessity for reproduction. According to certain experiments, the aphid parasitism impact reduces the number of inflorescences and the average weight of floral buds. With the aid of enzymatic adaptability and sequestering secondary metabolites, the host plant possesses biochemical and physical defence mechanisms. Aphids circumvent this by secreting Mixed Function Oxidase (MFO), which catalyses oxidative reactions, allowing them to eat, develop, and breed on their host plant.