Awmack & Leather, Host Plant Quality and Fecundity in Herbivorous Insects, 2002.
* sap-suckers prefer high amino acid levels in phloem
*
herbivores in general don't like high carbohydrate and lipid levels,
because it dilutes their target nutrients. Although aphids were *more*
successful under high CO2 conditions, so it might not be that simple.
*
Plants produce defense compounds which can put off some insects
(including aphids). This is more true of generalist feeders, whereas
species-specific feeders don't seem to mind so much.
So
at a guess, your plants might have *too much* nitrogen, which is why
they look great but are suffering from aphids. And/or they are lacking
some micronutrients which means they can't produce sufficient defense
compounds. If your greenhouse is well-sealed, then elevated CO2 might
favour aphids as well.
(I have seen this in
brassicas. Once I started soil testing and balanced my soil, my aphid
problems disappeared. Then I ran out of organic fertiliser pellets so
substituted in blood and bone, and got an aphid infestation. I figure
the highly soluble nitrogen from the B&B over-dosed by plants on N,
making them more attractive to aphids.)
Powell et al, HOST PLANT SELECTION BY APHIDS: Behavioral, Evolutionary, and Applied Perspectives, 2006
* aphids use a whole range of methods to choose which plants to feed on
*
during flight they are attracted to yellow wavelengths, rather than
green, so are more likely to be drawn to leaves which are young, sick or
senescing
* they are also attracted/repelled based on
odours, but that seems to have more to do with finding the right
species, rather than the health of the plant (though there are so many
compounds they can sense it might be much more complex than that).
*
once they get on the plant they "taste it" to get a feel for what the
nutrient levels are like and the presence of defense compounds.
These reviews are getting old, though, so perhaps there is more up-to-date knowledge out there.
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