Susceptibility of sunflower inbreds to Melanagromyza minimoides in Argentina and potential association with plant resistance traits
2016
Prasifka, Jarrad R. | Bazzalo, Maria Eugenia
Seed-feeding by larvae of the mosquito head fly, Melanagromyza minimoides , can substantially reduce yields of late-planted sunflower in South America and its management with insecticides or early-planting has other undesirable costs. Evaluation of inbred lines over three seasons indicated differences in the emergence of adult flies, particularly between restorer (male) and maintainer (female) lines used for hybrid seed production; when fly emergence (≈damage) was adjusted for differences in head size (i.e. to flies/100 cm ²), restorer lines averaged 3–12 times more damage than maintainer lines. Fly emergence in each of two seasons was tested for correlations with three sunflower traits (glandular trichome number, pericarp strength, and sesquiterpene lactone content) believed to provide host plant resistance to other insects. In one of two years, fly emergence was negatively correlated with the relative amount of sesquiterpene lactones in florets of the tested lines. Also, among maintainer lines, severity of infestation was much greater in multi-headed inbreds compared to single-headed lines. Additional research is needed to establish the cause(s) of reduced susceptibility of inbreds and whether parental lines influence M. minimoides damage to hybrids.
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