A summary of the study of Aphis illinoisensis Shimer on grapes, Vitis vinifera in the Mediterranean area brings references and new findings on its distribution in Crete/Greece, Turkey, Northern ...Cyprus, Malta, Israel, Montenegro, Tunisia, Algeria and Libya. Parasitoids of A. illinoisensis were only occasionally found (Aphidius matricariae Hal. – Cyprus, Turkey, Greece; Aphidius colemani Viereck – Libya; Lysiphlebus testaceipes Cress. – Algeria). Of the native species, i.e. A. colemani, and others similar to the native species, L. testaceipes seem to be a promising biocontrol agent within the framework of an ecologically friendly management in the area. Given the evidence of its expansion, A. illinoisensis is expected to expand further in several directions from the recently documented invaded area to all the grape-growing areas of the Mediterranean and even those of South-Eastern and Central Europe.
We developed a method for rearing Aphis illinoisensis, Shimer, a vector of watermelon mosaic virus 2 (WMV-2), on micropropagated shoot cultures of bunch (Vitis hybrid, subgenus Euvitis) and muscadine ...(Vitis rotundifolia, subgenus Muscadinia) grape plants to standardize host-plant quality and reduce the need for greenhouse space. We compared aphids reared aseptically on shoot cultures with aphids reared on grapevines grown in pots with regard to development time, prereproductive period, and fecundity. Aphids reared on whole plants produced more offspring and lived longer than those reared on shoot cultures of the bunch grape cultivar 'Blanc du Bois'. The same parameters were used to compare the suitability of bunch and muscadine shoot cultures as hosts. Transmission of WMV-2 was related to the number of probes made by aphids. There was no difference in efficiency of virus transmission between aphids from a colony reared on whole plants for 18 wk, aphids reared on shoot cultures and transferred for one generation to whole plants, or aphids reared on shoot cultures. Culture quality was important, however, because aphids reared on shoot cultures. Culture quality was important, however, because aphids reared on hyperhydric shoot cultures probed fewer times and transmitted virus less efficiently than those from cultures with normal leaves. The use of in vitro shoot cultures provides an efficient way to rear aphids whose host plant is not suitable for growth and reproduction at all times of the year or when many specific clones must be maintained without risk of contamination.
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