Use of Acetone to Facilitate Aphid Harvesting for Plant Virus Transmission Assays. J. A. C. de Souza-Dias, S. de Virologia, Instituto Agronomico, C. Postal 28, 13001-970 Campinas, SP, Brazil. S. A. Slack, V. A. Yuki, and J. A. M. Rezende. Department of Plant Pathology, Cornell University, Ithaca 14853; and S. de Virologia, Instituto Agronomico, C. Postal 28, 13001-970 Campinas, SP, Brazil. Plant Dis. 77:744-746. Accepted for publication 21 March 1993. Copyright 1993 The American Phytopathological Society. DOI: 10.1094/PD-77-0744.

Acetone as an aphid anesthetic was compared with mechanical removal of aphids from leaves to enhance the harvesting and handling of large populations of the aphid Myzus persicae. The effect of these two procedures on aphid virus transmission efficiency was assessed with a persistent and a nonpersistent virus using potato leafroll virus (PLRV) and papaya ringspot virus type W (PRSV-W), respectively. The use of acetone was 8–10 times faster and about 30% more efficient than the camel’s-hair brush technique for harvesting M. persicae from leaves of turnip, Malva parviflora, and sweet pepper. Even small nymphs could be collected and handled easily, indicating an additional benefit of the acetone method. There were no significant differences in transmission efficiency of aphids harvested via acetone or the camel’s-hair brush; rates were 60 and 54%, respectively, with PLRV and 95 and 93%, respectively, with PRSV-W. The acetone procedure was useful for handling M. persicae and possibly other aphid virus vectors also.