Wheat Yield in a Tolerant Winter Wheat Line Infested by Hessian Fly (&amp;lt;i&amp;gt;Mayetiola destructor&amp;lt;/i&amp;gt;)

Kirsten E Roe,Brandon J Schemerhorn

doi:10.4236/ae.2021.92007

Abstract

The Hessian fly, Mayetiola destructor, is a harmful pest of wheat (Triticum aestivum). Pioneer variety 25R78 is putatively tolerant, meaning that the plant can survive successful Hessian fly infestation with reduced growth effects. To understand if Hessian fly-tolerance in wheat results in reduced yield effects and to analyze the economic feasibility of tolerant wheat as a Hessian fly control method, this study focused on analyzing the effect of infestation on tolerant wheat yield. This study analyzed tolerant Pioneer variety 25R78, resistant Pioneer brand variety 25R32, and susceptible Pioneer brand variety 25R47 through harvest. Treated plants were infested using a plastic cover and allowing 1 - 2 female flies to lay eggs for two hours. We measured head, fertile head number and tiller number. Seeds were analyzed by measuring total seed number and weight, as well as average seed number and weight. Tolerant and resistant plants showed no significant effects on yield in comparison to susceptible wheat. The infested tolerant plants were comparable in yield to infested resistant plants. Therefore, we propose that tolerance incorporated into wheat varieties will lower selection pressure on Hessian fly populations and increase the durability of these wheat lines.

Highlights

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is the most globally consumed cereal crop, with an estimated production of 749.3 million tonnes in 2016-2017 (FAO, 2016)
To understand if Hessian fly-tolerance in wheat results in reduced yield effects and to analyze the economic feasibility of tolerant wheat as a Hessian fly control method, this study focused on analyzing the effect of infestation on tolerant wheat yield
We propose that tolerance incorporated into wheat varieties will lower selection pressure on Hessian fly populations and increase the durability of these wheat lines

Summary

Introduction

Wheat (Triticum aestivum) is the most globally consumed cereal crop, with an estimated production of 749.3 million tonnes in 2016-2017 (FAO, 2016). Threats to wheat yield and production are an important area of research, due to wheat’s importance in food security. The Hessian fly, or Mayetiola destructor (Say) (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae), is one of the leading contributors to wheat yield loss. Hessian fly infestations can lead to losses of up to $100 million per year in the United States as reported in 1953, a converted value of approximately $886 million per year [2]. The Hessian fly range includes the wheat-growing regions of North America, Europe, and North Africa [3] [4] [5]. While no North American studies have been done to evaluate percentage of crop loss, in Morocco, heavy infestations have been shown to cause can cause 32% - 100% yield loss [4] [6] [7]

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Conclusion