Resistance of Seven Cabbage Cultivars to Green Peach Aphid (Hemiptera: Aphididae)

The green peach aphid, Myzus persicae (Sulzer) (Hemiptera: Aphididae), is an important pest of many crops in the world and a vector of more than 100 plant viruses. It is a major pest of Brassica vegetables such as Chinese cabbage in northern China. Chemical control is extensively used to manage this aphid around the world; however, development of insecticide resistance has been a major obstacle facing growers. Host plant resistance in Chinese cabbage against M. persicae has not been reported yet. In this study, we investigated the resistance categories in seven Chinese cabbage cultivars against M. persicae. The resistance categories of these cultivars included antixenosis, antibiosis, and tolerance related to leaf color and wax content. The cultivar 'Yuanbao' had antibiotic and tolerance effects on the aphid. The rate of intrinsic increase (r(m)) of M. persicae was lower on Yuanbao compared with the other six cultivars. Yuanbao also had the highest antibiosis against the aphid. The aphid preferred 'Qingan 80', which had the highest wavelength (green) in leaf color. The highest wax content was found in Yuanbao, which had a significantly negative correlation with the preference of M. persicae. The cabbage cultivar Yuanbao was resistant to M. persicae and could be used in the development of integrated pest management (IPM) programs against the aphid in the field.