Genetic location and characterization of chromosomal regions affecting second-generation European corn borer resistance in a maize population

Abstract

Jon Tollefson. Thank you also to Dr. Richard Wilson for standing in for my dissertation defense. I am truly grateful to Wendy Woodman whose laboratory expertise and cooperation was imperative in making these studies possible. A special thank you to fellow graduate students Lance Veldboom, Peter Freymark, Sue Jarboe, and David Austin. Thanks for the help, the friendship, and the encouragement. We've been through much together, and I'll never forget the many good times we had. To my wife Luann, who shared with me the triumphs and pains during these years as a graduate student. I could always count on your steadfast love and support. To our daughters, Leah and Mary, who have come to us during the course of my student career. God has truly blessed us with the love and joy that you have provided. And finally, I would like to thank ray parents, Theresa and Jerome Brinkman, the two people who inspired within me a love for farming and a foundation in the practice of agriculture. 1 GENERAL INTRODUCTION Dissertation Organization This dissertation was written in the form of two manuscripts. The first manuscript reports the results of restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis performed to estimate the genetic location and effects of quantitative trait loci (QTL) affecting resistance to secondgeneration European corn borer. The second manuscript reports the results of RFLP mapping of QTL affecting five morphological traits including plant and ear heights, growingdegree-days to 50% pollen-shed and 50% silk emergence, and silk-delay. The manuscripts are preceded by a General 16 I. GENETIC LOCATION AND CHARACTERIZATION OF CHROMOSOMAL REGIONS AFFECTING SECOND-GENERATION EUROPEAN CORN BORER RESISTANCE IN A MAIZE POPULATION Written for submission to the journal Crop Science