Dissimilarities in the Biology of the Pea Aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Homoptera: Aphidae), on Alfalfa and Peas in New Mexico1

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Abstract
Seven clones of the pea aphid, Acyrthosiphon pisum (Harris), collected on alfalfa in southern New Mexico, were reared under greenhouse conditions on peas (variety Perfection) and alfalfa (variety New Mexico Common). Growth and reproduction were generally higher on alfalfa than on peas. Furthermore, pea seedlings were more susceptible, whereas alfalfa seedlings were more resistant. As the plants aged by several weeks, aphids grew and reproduced somewhat less on peas but definitely more on alfalfa. No “aphid conditioning” toward peas occurred even after 7 months of continuous rearing on this host plant. These variations in plant susceptibility to aphids indicate that the age and growth stage of the host plants must be carefully standardized for adequate evaluation of resistance or susceptibility to aphids. Since all clones behaved somewhat similarly, they represent a homogeneous sample from the aphid population occurring in the Mesilla Valley.