A variety of management methods to control the soybean aphid (Aphis glycines Matsumura) have been investigated since its invasion into North America in 2000, among them plant resistance has emerged as a viable option for reducing aphid damage to soybeans and preventing outbreaks. Plant resistance methods often use natural soybean plant defenses that impose stress on aphids by reducing fitness a...

The soybean aphid (Aphis glycines Matsumura) is native to China and Japan, and was a new pest in Iowa in 2000. Aphid numbers were high in the 2001, but in 2002 and 2003, aphids appeared to be less of a problem. This small, yellow aphid has distinct black cornicles (“tailpipes”) on the tip of the abdomen and develops colonies on soybean plants as winged and wingless forms. Aphids feed through pi...

The soybean aphid (Aphis glycines Matsumura) is native to China and Japan, and was a new pest in Iowa in 2000. Aphid numbers were high in the 2001, but in 2002 and 2003, aphids appeared to be less of a problem. This small, yellow aphid has distinct black cornicles (“tailpipes”) on the tip of the abdomen and develops colonies on soybean plants as winged and wingless forms. Aphids feed through pi...

The pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum Harris, (Homoptera: Aphididae) releases the volatile sesquiterpene (E)-beta-farnesene (EBF) when attacked by a predator, triggering escape responses in the aphid colony. Recently, it was shown that this alarm pheromone also mediates the production of the winged dispersal morph under laboratory conditions. The present work tested the wing-inducing effect of EBF...