Field Screening of Lesotho and South African Wheat Cultivars for Russian Wheat Aphid Resistance

Russian wheat aphid (Diuraphis noxia) is an international wheat pest and was first recorded in South Africa in 1978 in the Bethlehem area in the Eastern Free State. Le-sotho lies adjacent to one of the largest wheat producing areas in South Africa, the Eastern Free State, where winter wheat and facultative types are cultivated under dry land conditions. Wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) is an important crop adapted to all agro-ecological zones of Lesotho. Russian wheat aphid may have a significant impact on wheat yield. No monitoring or pest control is being done in Lesotho and at this stage there is very little information on the Russian wheat aphid resistance of wheat culti-vars cultivated in Lesotho. In view of this it is important to monitor the distribution of Russian wheat aphid biotypes in Lesotho and determine the level of Russian wheat aphid resistance in local Lesotho wheat cultivars. Two local Lesotho wheat cultivars, Bolane and Makalaote were screened together with South African cultivars Elands, Matlabas, Senqu, PAN3379, PAN3118 and SST387, in the glasshouse against all four known biotypes that occur in South Africa. All these cultivars were also planted in 5 m plots in the field at two localities Leribe and Roma in the lowlands of Lesotho. These cultivars were screened in the field for Russian wheat aphid resistance. The predomi-nant Russian wheat aphid biotypes in these areas were also determined. The Lesotho cultivar, Bolane had resistance against RWASA2 in the glasshouse, while Makalaote did not have any Russian wheat aphid resistance in either the glasshouse or field screenings. To contribute to food security an increasing wheat yield potential is a high priority. Russian wheat aphid has been included in the list of important international cereal pests. Russian wheat aphid adapts to changing environments and taking their ecology, distribution, virulence patterns, and variability into account is important in minimizing the gap between actual and attainable yields. Current management prac-tices for winter wheat in South Africa include the use of resistant cultivars, which is the most economical management strategy for Russian wheat aphid. Introducing Russian wheat aphid resistant cultivars in Lesotho will improve overall yield and as a result food security. This will also result in lower Russian wheat aphid pest pressure in the adjacent wheat production areas in the Eastern Free State, South Africa.