Effect of corn leaf aphid infestation on chlorophyll and photosynthesis in sorghum Najali M.S., Sridevi G.*, Prabhakar M.1, Pushpavathi B.1 College of Agriculture, Professor Jayashankar Telangana State Agricultural University, Rajendranagar, Hyderabad, 500030 1ICAR-Central Research Institute for Dry Land Agriculture, Santhoshnagar, Hyderabad, 500030 *Email: gajula_sridevi@yahoo.com
Online published on 5 February, 2019. Abstract The biotic stress caused by insect pests in sorghum is the principal limiting factor for its productivity. The present study revealed that the damage caused by the corn leaf aphid Rhopalosiphum maidis (Fitch) resulted in reduction in chlorophyll content, fluorescence and photosynthetic rate ranging between 9.06 to 29.79%; 1.35 to 6.75 (Fv/Fm) and 6.15 to 32.30 μmol CO2 m−2 sec−1, respectively, at different levels of infestation. These plant physiological parameters were significantly low at higher infestation (300 aphids/plant) compared to nil, low (100 aphids/plant) and medium (200 aphids/plant) infestation. A negative correlation was observed between aphid density and these physiological parameters. Top Keywords Sorghum, Rhopalosiphum maidis, chlorophyll, chlorophyll uorescence, photosynthesis, correlation coefficients. Top |