Mohadese Mirahmadi, Seyed Ali Safavi, Azadeh Jarrahi
The green peach aphid, Myzus persicae, is a major economic pest of cruciferous crops worldwide and causes substantial damage to cabbage. Extensive reliance on chemical insecticides has intensified environmental and human health concerns, disrupted natural enemy communities, and accelerated the evolution of insecticide resistance. Integrating sublethal concentrations of selective insecticides with low-risk inert mineral particles represents a potentially effective and sustainable strategy for aphid management. In this study, we evaluated the acute toxicity of AgriFlex and kaolin, applied individually and in combination, and quantified their effects on the biological and demographic parameters of M. persicae progeny on cabbage under greenhouse conditions using standardized bioassays and age-stage, two-sex life table analysis. The LC₅₀ values for adult aphids were 0.071% and 4.38% for AgriFlex and kaolin, respectively. Sublethal (LC₂₅) concentrations of AgriFlex (0.051%) and kaolin (3.37%), applied individually and in combination, were evaluated for their effects on F1 aphid life history traits. Adult longevity significantly decreased in all treated insects relative to the control. Mean fecundity declined from 42.39 nymphs/female in the control to 2.38 nymphs/female in the combined treatment. The intrinsic rate of increase (r) was markedly reduced, falling from 0.23 d⁻¹ in the control to -0.003 d⁻¹ in the combined treatment. Overall, the combined treatment outperformed both the control and the single‑agent sublethal applications of kaolin or AgriFlex, achieving markedly greater suppression of M. persicae population and supporting its potential to reduce insecticide inputs, which is consistent with the principles of integrated pest management and environmentally sustainable agriculture.