Evaluation of fall armyworm resistance in maize germplasm lines using visual leaf injury rating and predator survey.

After examining ear-colonizing pest resistance, 20 maize lines from the USDA-ARS Germplasm Enhancement of Maize (GEM) Program were evaluated for whorl-feeding fall armyworm (FAW) (Spodoptera frugiperda) resistance using 4 maize inbred lines as the resistant and susceptible controls. Both FAW injury ratings at 7- and 14-d after infestation, and predator abundance and diversity at whorl stage (V6-V8) were recorded in 2009 and 2010. The survey of the diversity and abundance of predators in each experimental plot were conducted 7 d after the FAW infestation.

Evaluation of corn germplasm lines for multiple ear-colonizing insect and disease resistance.

Ear-colonizing insects and diseases that reduce yield and impose health threats by mycotoxin contaminations in the grain, are critical impediments for corn (Zea mays L.) production in the southern United States. Ten germplasm lines from the Germplasm Enhancement of Maize (GEM) Program in Ames, IA, and Raleigh, NC, and 10 lines (derived from GEM germplasm) from the Texas Agricultural Experiment Station in Lubbock, TX, were examined in 2007 and 2008 with local resistant and susceptible controls.