4-3 IAN Aphids Forever

 A University of Idaho entomologist has developed a website-based program that helps dry pea and lentil growers determine whether to treat their crops for plant viruses carried by pea aphids. Major infestations of virus-infected aphids usually show up about every seven to 10 years. The last major virus attack in this area happened in 2005. Todd Scholz of the USA Dry Pea and Lentil Council in Moscow said that year growers lost 20 to 90 percent of their legume crops because of viruses carried by aphids and says:  "It's a big impact. His research project averted a disaster last year. We did get notification that people took action" after being warned of virus-infected aphids on his aphid tracker website. Despite the proven benefits, however, the growers association has not yet committed to continuing funding, Scholz said,  despite his observation that aphids and viruses do not go away: “Viruses are what we call persistently transmitted which means that once the aphids get the virus, they keep a stash for life. Those  viruses are  resident in the salivary glands of the aphid so that when the aphid feeds and injects saliva, which they do every time they feed, they also inject some virus particles into the plant.”

On the Net: http://www.cals.uidaho.edu/aphidtracker