DEVELOPMENT OF A PROTOTYPE COMPUTER PROGRAM FOR PREDICTING Rhopalosiphum maidis (FITCH) ABUNDANCE ON BARLEY IN EGYPT

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Plant Protection Research Institute, Agriculture Research Center, Dokki, Giza, Egypt.

2 Department of Economic Entomology and Pesticides, Faculty of Agriculture, Cairo University

Abstract

The obtained data of seasonal abundance of the corn leaf aphid, Rhopalosiphum maidis (Fitch) (Homoptera: Aphididae) in relation to climatic factors, sowing dates, plant growth stage and fertilization rates were used to develop a prototype computer program to predict aphids' abundance on barley at different planting dates in relation to plant growth stages. This prototype program is a first step towards developing an expert system for prediction of aphids on barley in Egypt.