Relative Attractiveness of Tobacco Etch Virus-Infected and Healthy Flue-Cured Tobacco Plants to Aphids (Homoptera: Aphididae)

The relative attractiveness of tobacco etch virus(TEV)infected versus healthy flue-cured tobacco plants to alighting aphids under field conditions was evaluated in 1985and 1986. In 1987, the effect of plant age and time of inoculation on aphid alighting was also evaluated. Many more aphids (4 species, 2 genera) were attracted to TEV-infected plants than to healthy plants in the 1st half of the growing season. However, no significant trends were detected for the 2nd half of the growing season. The relative attractiveness of TEV-infected plants compared with healthy plants was greater in 1985 than 1986 or 1987. The tobacco cultivar used in 1985, ‘NC 2326’, showed much more pronounced TEV-induced chlorotic mottling of young leaves, compared with ‘Coker 176’, which was used in 1986and 1987and exhibited more subtle symptoms of TEV infection. Younger plants were more attractive to alighting aphids early in the growing season.