The western corn rootworm is a major insect pest in corn production, but no viable alternatives to insecticides and crop rotation are available for its control. Several seed companies have announced commercialization goals for transgenic seed with resistance to corn rootworm larval feeding, but sources of strong native resistance are lacking in commercial corn. We have been breeding for native resistance to corn rootworm larval feeding for nearly a decade. The current status of this breeding program will be summarized.
Species 1: Coleoptera Chrysomelidae Diabrotica virgifera virgifera (western corn rootworm)
Keywords: corn rootworm, host plant resistance
Back to Ten-Minute Papers, Subsection Fa. Host Plant Resistance and F. Crop Protection Entomology
Back to Ten-Minute Papers, Section F. Crop Protection Entomology, Subsections Fa and Fb
Back to The 2002 ESA Annual Meeting and Exhibition