Rosy apple aphid abundance on apple is shaped by vegetative growth and water status

Regulated deficit irrigation, which is a common practice to cope with water scarcity, can impact plant-aphid interactions, and possibly lead to a reduction in the use of pesticides. To test the possible effect of water restriction on the apple tree-rosy apple aphid (Malus domestica-Dysaphis plantaginea) system, we performed a factorial experiment with two levels of water supply and two genotypes on artificially infested trees. Plant growth and aphid abundance were characterised during the entire infestation period at two scales of analysis: the apical shoot scale and the tree scale, and additional measures were performed to evaluate plant water status. Aphid abundance increased with plant vegetative growth at both scales of analysis, which is consistent with the Plant Vigor Hypothesis (i.e. with the fact that most of the phloem feeders prefer fast growing plants). At the tree scale, aphid abundance was lower on trees that underwent water restriction, but at the shoot scale, aphid abundance responded differently to water restriction depending on the tree genotype. Water restriction modified the relationship between aphid abundance and growth, thus indicating that host suitability for aphids was affected by different plant variables susceptible to water stress, among which growth. The different response patterns at the two scales of analysis highlight the importance of scale choice in the study of plant-insect interactions.