Sugarbeet Root Aphid

Pemphigus populivenae

 

Identification

  • Overwinters in the larvae stage on trees (Rocky Mountain States) or as aphids in sugar beets or weed hosts
  • Winged adults migrate from their winter hosts to sugarbeets in early summer and produce up to seven generations of wingless aphids
  • Aphids are a white to yellowish green
  • The female body is about a 1/16" long
  • Aphids live in a white waxy secretion which repels water
 

Detection

  • Infestations start out as small round patches in the field
  • Patches have wilted leaves during the heat of the day
  • Surface of roots are covered with white, waxy material secreted by the insect
  • Beet leaves can turn from dark green to yellowish green and eventually wilt and actually shrink in size
  • In extreme cases of aphid infestation, both winged and non-winged aphids can be found on the petioles of the beets
  • Roots become dried out with extreme root aphid pressure and become loose in soil as they shrink
 

Cause of Infestation

  • Aphids thrive in high temperatures and in limited soil moisture
  • Under ideal conditions, numerous aphid generations may be produced
  • Aphids spread by crawling through cracks in the soil and on the soil surface
  • Winged aphids can fly
  • Aphids can be moved by both wind and water
 

Cause of Damage

  • Feeds mainly on the secondary roots of beets
  • Feeding reduces the beets' ability to take up water and nutrients
 

Beet Damage

  • Beets wilt and become stunted
  • Aphids reduce the size and the quality of beet roots
  • Aphid damage opens the door to other infestations such as alternaria
  • Can cause reduced tonnage, sugar, and quality
 

Control

  • Crop rotation and plowing can reduce infestations
  • Variety resistance
  • No current insecticide control
  • Irrigation can slow the production of future generation