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Can. Ent. 105: 449-458 (1973) The effects of various levels of infestation of the corn leaf aphid, Rhopalosiphum maidis (Fitch), on yield of field corn were examined from 1965 to 1970 inclusive when all plants whose yield might have been influenced by factors other than aphid feeding were excluded from the data. A possible relationship between moisture stress in plants and degree of aphid injury was also investigated.A light infestation (maximum of 400 aphids on the tassel) caused average yield reductions up to 8.3% when plants were under moisture stress, but nil to negligible losses when moisture was adequate. Moderate infestations (many hundreds of aphids on part of the tassel) produced average losses up to 34.8% under drought conditions and up to 11.8% when moisture was abundant. Severe infestations (many hundreds of aphids on most of the tassel) caused average yield reductions ranging from 43.2 to 91.8% when plants were under water stress and up to 58.9% even with abundant moisture. Very severely infested plants (many hundreds on all of the tassel and whorl leaves) were usually barren or had ears with just a few kernels regardless of moisture conditions.Most injury from aphid feeding appeared to occur before and during pollination. No particular combination of temperature and rainfall favored aphid buildup.

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In a 3-year study, one annual application of a 10% granular formulation of disulfoton in the soil at a rate of 2 lb actual toxicant per acre controlled M. persicae throughout the entire period that aphids were most prevalent in pepper fields. Some control was observed within a few days of treatment, but effective control did not occur until 2 to 3 weeks after placement of the insecticide. Irrigation increased the initial uptake of disulfoton, but after 2 weeks the degree of control was essentially the same in irrigated and nonirrigated plots.Analyses of fruit samples from treated plots showed that there were no detectable amounts of disulfoton or its oxidation products 42, 50, and 60 days after treatment. These observations suggest that the required interval of 90 days between treatment and harvest could be reduced. Appreciable amounts of the insecticide or its oxidation products were present in the leaves on all sampling dates.