The orange wheat blossom midge is a major pest of wheat in the Northern Great Plains and feeds as a larva on the developing wheat kernel. Scientists in Canada have identified a major resistance gene that causes the death of the first instar larva. This single gene is currently being bred into wheats adapted for the Northern Great Plains and will be deployed in large acreages within the next five years. Our study investigated the responses of a susceptible wheat genotype and a resistant wheat genotype to attack by neonate wheat midge larvae. The response of the developing kernel to attack was studied using light and electron microscopy.
Species 1: Diptera Cecidomyiidae Sitodiplosis mosellana (orange wheat blossom midge)
Keywords: hypersensitive response, histology
The ESA 2001 Annual Meeting - 2001: An Entomological Odyssey of ESA