St. Augustine grass resistance against the southern chinch bug, Blissus insularis Barber

Host plant resistance has been proven an effective management alternative for the southern chinch bug, Blissus insularis Barber, which was maintained under control since ‘Floratam’ St. Augustine grass was released in 1973 and subsequently planted throughout the Southern United States. This grass exhibited a high level of insect toxicity (antibiosis).  However, recent reports of resistance loss in ‘Floratam’ to Florida and Texas southern chinch bug populations has renewed interest in screening germplasm for breeding resistance to the southern chinch bug in this turf grass species.  Virulence levels in chinch bug populations appear to be naturally variable and both, host adaptability and virulence are heritable in these insects.  However, it is yet to be determined if North Carolina southern chinch bug populations are as genetically variable or if they are as virulent on Floratam as those from Texas and Florida. The main aims of this project are to: 1) Screen a collection of 36 plant introduction lines/varieties of St. Augustine grass for their resistance to NC chinch bug populations. 2) Evaluate the genetic diversity among North Carolina southern chinch bug populations using amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers.