• Name of Institution: CMR National PU College at ITPL, Bangalore.
• Student’s Name: Anjali Manoj
• Specimen Observed: Aphis gossypii (Common Cotton Aphid)

On the 24th of July, I, Anjali Manoj, observed a few specimens of Aphis gossypii that is commonly known as Cotton Aphids under the foldscope. We obtained these specimens from the base of the leaves of a Hibiscus rosa-sinensis plant growing in the garden of our College.

Aphids are common pests of agricultural crops. They are usually found on the underside of leaves or on the growing tips of shoots from which they suck they sap of the plant resulting in chlorosis and ultimately, premature death of the plant. Another reason why aphids are potentially harmful for crops is because they are vectors of crinkle, mosaic and other virus diseases. The detrimental impact that aphids have is most commonly seen on vegetable crops such as courgette, melon, cucumber, aubergine and strawberry and on cotton, citrus and mallow.