STUDIES ON THE PENETRATION OF BRINJAL LEAVES BY STYLETS OF APHIS GOSSYPII GLOVER

Aphids have an extremely close-association with their host plant. Aphis gossypii Glover is a cosmopolitan. polyphagous species feeding on more than 500 host plants belonging to different families (Raychaudhuri, 1983). It usually feeds on the succulent plant parts resulting in certain changes in the host tissue. The anatomical changes due to feeding by A. gossypii were observed in the present investigation. Transverse sections of the infested leaves revealed stylet tracks in epidermis, mesophyll parenchyma and phloem regions. The stylet tracks followed mostly intercellular courses, however, intracellular type of penetration was also observed. In addition, physiological effects such as plasmolysis of cell were also recorded.