Russian wheat aphid

• Primary hosts are wheat and barley
• Light-green, elongated aphid (up to 1.8 mm long)
• Damage symptoms include: white, purple or yellowish leaf streaks; rolling of leaves, flag leaf and awns; bleached heads with small grains
• Crop losses up to 75% could occur

We’ve created a fact sheet so you will be able to recognise Russian wheat aphid if you see it.

The Grains Research and Development Corporation has developed the FITE strategy against Russian wheat aphids. The four steps of the FITE strategy are:

• FIND – look for aphids and the characteristic plant symptoms of leaf streaking or leaf rolling on cereal crops and grasses
• IDENTIFY – positively identify the pest in consultation with a specialist
• THRESHOLD APPROACH – consider international thresholds for control, factoring crop growth stage and potential yield losses
• ENACT an appropriate management strategy that where possible preserves beneficial insects.