Evaluation of the severity of rosy apple aphid infestation in spring

Evaluation of the severity of rosy apple aphid infestation in spring

Description: The protocol consists in a visual and non-destructive method based on severity classes to describe the infestation by the rosy apple aphid at tree level.

Use: The method may be used to evaluate the infestation during aphid multiplication phase on apple in spring (one observation), the progress in infestation (two or more scheduled observations) or the severity of the infestation at infestation peak (one observation after the infestation peak or even after the migration of the aphids).
It can be adopted, for instance, to evaluate the susceptibility of apple cultivars, or the severity of infestation according to practices, location of trees within the orchard, etc...

Author: Sylvaine Simon (INRA).