Resistance to Brevicoryne brassicae in horticultural brassicas

A wide range of cultivated brassica accessions including broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower, collard, kale and swede material was tested against the cabbage aphid, Brevicoryne brassicae, at HRI, Wellesbourne in the field and laboratory in both 1992 and 1993. In the field, B. brassicae attack was assessed as the proportion of infested plants and the numbers of aphid colonies present. In the laboratory, aphid performance was measured in terms of the pre-reproductive and reproductive period, population increase, and insect mortality. Interpretation of the data was facilitated by plotting sorted accession means against normal order statistics. This statistical approach indicated the spread of variation amongst the accessions and permitted identification of extremes. Partial levels of antixenosis resistance were discovered in red brassicas. Glossy accessions of cabbage and cauliflower possessed antixenosis and antibiosis resistance that lasted throughout the season of crop growth in the field. Other accessions were shown to withstand aphid attack and therefore possessed tolerance. The laboratory studies provided information on mechanisms of antibiosis resistance. The potential value of the different sources of resistance is discussed.