Effects of intersowing with beans on the spread of groundnut rosette virus by Aphis craccivora Koch (Hemiptera, Aphididae) in Malawi

In two trials, at Chitedze, Malawi, in 1966–1967, the spread of rosette virus disease in groundnuts (Arachis hypogaea) intersown with field beans (Phaseolus vulgaris) was less than the spread in groundnut monocultures comprising plant populations equivalent to the number of groundnut plants and to the total number of plants in the intersown crop. In one trial, numbers of early rosette transmissions were related to numbers of alate Aphis craccivora Koch, the vector of the virus, found on groundnut plants. Immigrant alate A. craccivora settling on the intersown crop were trapped by the hooked epidermal hairs of the bean plants and the observed reduction of rosette infection in the intersown crop was attributed to this effect. Inter-sowing with beans is considered less effective than early-sown, high-density monoculture as a method of reducing groundnut rosette infections and yields of groundnuts from inter-sown crops may be lower than those obtained from high-density monoculture.