Hello steemians, welcome to my blog, and for today theme given by @farms, we will be talking on a particular topic "APHIDOS".

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WHAT ARE APHIDS ?

Aphid are organisms of small size, varied colors mainly green, yellow or black. Generally smooth, although sometimes they can have spots. The body is soft of ovoidal shape, without evident distinction between the different regions (head, thorax and abdomen). They can be wingless or winged.

EFFECT/ DAMAGES OF APHIDOS

Aphids grown-ups feed on plant juices, assaulting leaves, stems, buds, blossoms, natural product, as well as roots, contingent upon the species, although they have great ecological and agronomic importance because they compromise the value of crops and ornamental plants. This pest causes direct and indirect damages that are translated later in diminution of yield.

Amphids cause damage on plant by sucking the phloem from the plants by introducing a stylet that allows it to pierce the epidermal tissue of the stem of the plants.

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They also incorporate toxic saliva and extract large amounts of sap, which causes chlorosis, spots and leaf death.Some species are very specific, and feed on a single species of plant or crop (monophagus), while others feed on a large number of species (polyphagous).

when the pests present in the culture are transmitters of viruses. The populations of aphids are influenced by a complex of climatic variables. The precipitations diminish the populations of some species of aphids while years with dry climate increase them, making necessary in many cases the application of control measures.

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List of crops Aphids do the most damage on!

Below are list of crops Aphids do the most damage on, and they include vegetable and ornamental plants. Some of them include
▪Bean
▪Potato
▪Lettuce
▪Squash
▪Cucumber
▪Pumpkin
▪melon
▪Beet
▪Chard
▪Bok choy

Prevention and Control

For elimination of aphids, weeds and proper management of irrigation and drainage of the soil so that the roots have an adequate habitat; as well as avoiding often unnecessary practices such as drastic pruning in the case of shrub and tree species that weaken the plants.

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In the case of chemical control, the decision criterion must consider the specific economic threshold of each species and the phenological state of the crop.

the presence of natural enemies must be carefully observed. Aphids have numerous natural enemies among which we find predators, parasitoids and fungi, which exert strong pressure to keep populations below the damage thresholds.

Providing insects like Lady bugs and parasitic wasps to feed on them. The lady bugs feeds on the aphids rapidly, hereby reducing their population significantly.Use of an alcohol like isopropyl alcohol(without additives) also acts as a repellant for aphids.