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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Ames, Iowa » Corn Insects and Crop Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #320026
Title: Asian corn borer damage is affected by rind penetration strength of corn stalks in a spatiotemporally dependent manner

Author
item GUO, JINGFEI - Chinese Academy Of Sciences
item HE, KANGLAI - Chinese Academy Of Sciences
item MENG, YUJIE - Chinese Academy Of Sciences
item Hellmich Ii, Richard
item CHEN, SHAOJIANG - Chinese Academy Of Sciences
item Lopez, Miriam
item Lauter, Nicholas
item WANG, ZHENYING - Chinese Academy Of Sciences

Submitted to: Plant Direct
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/7/2022
Publication Date: 2/3/2022
Citation: Guo, J., He, K., Meng, Y., Hellmich II, R.L., Chen, S., Lopez, M.D., Lauter, N.C., Wang, Z. 2022. Asian corn borer damage is affected by rind penetration strength of corn stalks in a spatiotemporally dependent manner. Plant Direct. 6(2). Article e381. https://doi.org/10.1002/pld3.381.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/pld3.381

Interpretive Summary: Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis, is an important insect pest of maize throughout most of Asia that commonly reduces yields by five to ten percent or more. This insect is closely related to the European corn borer, an important pest of maize in the United States and Europe. The rind of a maize stalk is an important barrier against corn borer larval boring into the plant. The objective of this study was to determine whether stalk strength is involved in maize resistance to Asian corn borer larval injury. Thirty-nine lines were evaluated in 2012 and 2013. Rind strength was measured with a tool that punctured the rind at stages of maize development that correspond with first and second generation corn borer injury, tasseling and milk stages. As expected, hardness of the rind during these stages was positively related to lower corn borer injury (measured as number of holes). Results suggest that even though harder stalks may have enhanced resistance to corn borer stalk boring they do not necessarily have reduced pith feeding or tunneling of corn borer larvae. The methods developed with this research should provide an efficient approach for classical maize breeders from around the world to consider for improving stalk strength and resistance to both first and second generation corn borer injury.

Technical Abstract: Asian corn borer, Ostrinia furnacalis (Guenée), is an important insect pest of maize throughout most of Asia. The rind of a maize stalk is a key barrier against corn borer larvae boring into the plant. There is a need to better understand the relationship between stalk strength and O. furnacalis larval injury, particularly for elite maize genotypes. To determine whether stalk strength is involved in maize resistance to O. furnacalis larval injury, thirty-nine maize lines were evaluated in 2012 and 2013. Rind puncture strength (RPS) was measured at tassel (VT) and milk (R3) stages as a possible stalk resistance trait for O. furnacalis. RPS of primary ear internode at VT and R3 accounted for 38 and 37% of the variance in O. furnacalis injury (measured as number of holes) for simulated (artificially inoculated) first and second generation O. furnacalis, respectively. Relationships between stalk RPS values and tunnel length were weak. Results suggest that harder stalks have enhanced resistance to stalk boring but not to pith feeding or tunneling of O. furnacalis larvae. The RPS measures could provide classical maize breeders an important tool for evaluating stalk strength and corn borer resistance in maize. The assessments should focus on the internodes of the middle of the plant (primary ear or below primary ear) during both VT stage for first generation and R3 stage for second generation O. furnacalis resistance.