Attacking the clones: understanding resistance of aphid pests to biological control

october 2021 – september 2025

Laura Martinez

I am researching parasitoid resistance on potato aphids (Macrosiphum euphorbiae) of strawberry crops. My project will include: 

-Sampling potato aphid populations in strawberries to determine their genotypic diversity

-Assessing parasitoid resistance on potato aphids to their main parasitoid species 

-Investigating the genetic diversity of the most common parasitoid species used for potato aphid control 

-Exploring the potato aphid endosymbiont community composition as it has been linked with parasitoid resistance in other aphids

-Performing a field survey to understand the dynamics and interactions of potato aphid genotypes with different parasitoids species

Research progress

Laura Martinez AHDB Annual Report 2022

Laura Martinez AHDB Annual Report 2023