Effect of Second‐Brood European Corn Borer Infestation on 45 Single‐Cross Hybrids¹

Abstract

Plots of corn artificially infested with second‐brood corn borer egg masses were compared with plots treated with an insecticide to prevent infestation. Our studies were conducted to determine if the resistance of inbreds would be expressed in hybrids and if the present level of resistance was sufficient to prevent serious yield losses.Resistant ✕ resistant crosses were reduced in yield by second‐brood corn borer damage on the average slightly less than 4%, but the susceptible ✕ susceptible crosses were reduced in yield by 12%. Corn borer infestation decreased yield and the moisture content of the grain, but increased stalk lodging and ear droppage. The number of cavities per plant, which we used as a direct measure of resistance, increased with the susceptibility of the inbreds in the single crosses.

Genetic variation in testcrosses of European maize inbreds for resistance to the European corn borer and relations to line per se performance

“…In the US Corn Belt, yield losses due to second-generation ECB infestation varied from 12% to 40% in susceptible hybrids (Scott et al 1967, Guthrie et al 1975. After artificial infestation with ECB, yield losses up to 40% were observed in our study of TC hybrids, indicating the potential severity of ECB damage in European maize.…”

Field resistance in maize cultivars to stem borer Chilo partellus

“…Almost all research conducted on host plant resistance has been used successfully in developed countries to breed resistant varieties. For example, resistant maize varieties have been bred against the attack of fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J E Smith) (Williams, Davis & Scott, 1978;Widstrom, 1989), European corn borer, Ostrinia nubilalis Hubner (Scott, Guthrie & Pesho, 1967;Russell, Guthrie & Grindeland, 1974;Guthrie, Russell, Jarvis & Robbins, 1985;Guthrie, 1989); southwestern corn borer, Diatraea grandiosella Dyar (Davis & Williams, 1986;Davis, Ng & Williams, 1989), and corn earworm Heliothis zea Boddie (Widstrom, 1989;Mihm, 1989).…”

Mid-parent heterosis and combining ability of European corn borer resistance in maize

“…The development of maize cultivars with genetic resistance to corn borer would reduce losses and reliance on chemical control . Success in developing resistant cultivars has been limited, with the exception of resistance to leaf feeding, although much adapted and exotic maize germplasm has been evaluated for resistance to leaf feeding Sullivan et al, 1974), sheath-collar and stalk feeding (Jarvis & Guthrie, 1980;Kim et al ., 1989a ;Scott et al, 1967), and ear feeding (Andrew & Carlson, 1976 ;Davis & Grier, 1978, Jarvis, 1988 . One third of the 99 most commonly used public field maize inbreds were intermediate to highly resistant to leaf feeding while only one was resistant to sheath-collar feeding .…”