Aphids on Brassica plant in Punjab fields seen through foldscope

Mar 08, 2019 • 11:07 PM UTC

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Divya_SD7

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Grey coloured powder was observed from a distance on Brassica stem in a field during one of our visits to Punjab fields. On moving closer, we could see a grey coat all over the stem When left for some time on a paper, all the aphids settled down as grey powder mass. The leaves showed glistening golden and grey powdery masses, which too showed presence of aphids.

Fixing a sample on a slide and observing through the foldscope we could see aphids. Some were winged with thin and lean body, while some were wingless and flat giving a grey, mealy appearance due to their waxy coating. While fixing the sample on to slide we could observe sap-like ooze. Aphids probably feed by sucking sap from their host plants.