Agronomic Performance Of S1 Maize Lines Derived From A Bi-Parental Cross Under Infested And Striga Free Environments

Striga hermonthica, causes up to 100% yield loss in maize production in sub-Saharan Africa. Developing Striga resistant maize cultivars could be a major component of integrated Striga management strategies. This study aims at assessing the agronomic performance of S1 breeding lines in improving maize for Striga resistance. Two hundred S1 lines have been evaluated under artificial infestation Striga and Striga-free conditions in Benin for two years during 2018 and 2019 growing seasons using alpha-lattice design (51 x 4) with two replicates. Twelve agro-morphological and Striga adaptive traits have been assessed. The tested lines have displayed high genetic variability for most agronomic and Striga adaptive traits. The S1 lines exhibited high grain yield than their parents with averages of 2,552.72±593 kg ha-1 and 2,965.67±635.86 kg ha-1 under Striga artificial infestation and Striga-free conditions, respectively. Grain yield has displayed high positive and significant genetic and phenotypic correlations with ears per plant and high negative correlations with days to 50% silking, ears aspect, and Striga damage rating at 8 and 10 weeks after planting (WAP). Useful traits like ears per plant, days to 50% silking, ears aspect, number of emerged Striga plants and Striga rating at 10 WAP could assist for indirect selection under Striga conditions. Based on the selection index, a total of 15 S1 lines have been identified as top ranking and can be used as sources of resistance or tolerance genes to Striga and further improvement in maize breeding in future.

Sensitivity of Senepol and Caracu breeds to parasitism by Rhipicephalus microplus

Taurine breeds and animals crossbred for genetic resistance to Rhipicephalus microplus have been the focus of several studies aimed at producing better responses of cattle to tick infestations and seeking to reduce treatment costs and improve the quality of bovine byproducts. Another way to increase gains is the introduction of taurine breeds with the goal of obtaining morphological and physiological characteristics more adapted to production. Although several studies have compared taurine and zebu breeds, little is known about the differences found within the taurine group. Therefore, the present study aimed to evaluate the sensitivity of the Senepol and Caracu breeds to artificial R. microplus infestations. For this purpose, a stall test was conducted on 16 Caracu and 14 Senepol bulls. The animals were subjected to artificial infestation with a total of 15,000 R. microplus larvae per animal. The Senepol group accounted for 71.7% of the retrieved engorged female ticks. The biological parameters analyzed that showed a significant difference included the mean number of engorged female ticks retrieved (p = 0.000), weight of engorged female ticks (p = 0.000), rate of engorged female ticks retrieved (p = 0.03) and egg mass weight (p = 0.032). Thus, the present study demonst rated a higher susceptib ility of the Senepol breed to parasitism by the Asian blue tick than the Caracu breed, providing support for new studies on the subjects of genetic resistance, animal breeding and cattle production.

Evaluation of African Maize Cultivars for Resistance to Fall Armyworm Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith) (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Larvae

The fall armyworm (FAW) has recently invaded and become an important pest of maize in Africa causing yield losses reaching up to a third of maize annual production. The present study evaluated different aspects of resistance of six maize cultivars, cropped by farmers in Kenya, to FAW larvae feeding under laboratory and field conditions. We assessed the arrestment and feeding of FAW neonate larvae in no-choice and choice experiments, development of larvae-pupae, food assimilation under laboratory conditions and plant damage in a field experiment. We did not find complete resistance to FAW feeding in the evaluated maize cultivars, but we detected differences in acceptance and preference when FAW larvae were given a choice between certain cultivars. Moreover, the smallest pupal weight and the lowest growth index were found on ’SC Duma 43′ leaves, which suggests an effect of antibiosis of this maize hybrid against FAW larvae. In contrast, the highest growth index was recorded on ‘Rachar’ and the greatest pupal weight was found on ‘Nyamula’ and ‘Rachar’. The density of trichomes on the leaves of these maize cultivars seems not to be directly related to the preference of neonates for feeding. Plant damage scores were not statistically different between cultivars in the field neither under natural nor artificial infestation. However, plant damage scores in ‘Nyamula’ and ‘Jowi’ tended to be lower in the two last samplings of the season compared to the two initial samplings under artificial infestation. Our study provides insight into FAW larval preferences and performance on some African maize cultivars, showing that there are differences between cultivars in these variables; but high levels of resistance to larvae feeding were not found.

Bruchid Resistant Studies using Stabilized Derivatives (F7 Families) of Interspecific Cross Cowpea × Rice Bean

Bruchid (Callosobruchus maculatus F.) is the main constraint in cowpea production. It can be controlled by chemical application but it is hazardous and not eco-friendly, hence attempt has been made to derive bruchid resistant lines by screening 100 stabilized lines from interspecific cross between cowpea and rice bean. In this experiment, screening of 100 F7 segregants of cross DC615 (susceptible) × Dharwad local (resistant) along with checks (DC15, DCS47-1, RBHP-38 and IC18563) was carried out against bruchid through artificial infestation at the Department of Genetics and plant Breeding, University of Agricultural Sciences, Dharwad. Out of 100 segregants screened, 7 were highly resistant, 52 were moderately resistant, 21 were least susceptible, 12 were moderately susceptible and 8 were highly susceptible. The segregant F7:78-1-1 registered least values for bruchid infestation, seed damage at 30, 45 and 75 days, loss of vigour and seed viability loss.

Activity of insecticides on coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei) (Coleoptera: curculionidae, scolytinae)

The objective of this work was to evaluate the topical, residual and agronomic effects of the insecticides Voliam Targo, Benevia, Lorsban 480 BR, Curbix 200 SC, Sperto, Verismo, Polytrin 400/40 CE, Curyom 550 EC, Polo 500 SC and Vertimec 18 EC in the control of the berry borer of coffee (H. hampei). The experimental design was completely randomized and four replicates were used in the trials. In the laboratory, a direct spray was sprayed on the insect (topical effect) and applied to the fruits of the coffee (residual contamination). In both experiments, each plot consisted of a Petri dish lined with filter paper, 10 fruits in the green stage and 10 adult females of the berry borer, originating from artificial breeding. Two field experiments were carried out at Campus Glória Experimental Farm. The first one was carried out with the objective of evaluating the residual effect of the insecticides on artificial infestation of the berry borer after applying the products to fruits at the beginning of maturation. The number of perforated fruits, dead females, number of eggs and larvae were evaluated in laboratory and field experiments. The second field experiment had as objective to evaluate the effectiveness in controlling the natural population of the berry borer. Two applications were performed with a 30-day interval, using a motorized turbocharger. The number of fruits bored in 50 fruits per plot and percentage of seeds bored in a sample of 250 seeds per replicate were evaluated. In the laboratory, all insecticides provided mortality higher than 80% in topical application and greater than 73% by residual contamination, except the insecticide Polo 500 SC, which provided a 55% mortality. In the field experiment with artificial infestation, all the insecticides differed from the control, maintaining residual control until 30 days after application and with mortality higher than 70%, reaching up to 100% of mortality. In the test with natural berry borer females infestation the insecticides differed from the control in all evaluated parameters, showed efficacy higher than 75% at 35 days after the second application. The insecticides Voliam Targo, Lorsban 480 BR, Curbix 200 SC, Sperto, Polytrin 400/40 CE and Verismo presented the best control results, being indicated for use in the management of the berry borer of coffee.

Impacts of salmon lice on mortality, marine migration distance and premature return in sea trout

Brown trout Salmo trutta (L.) is a facultative anadromous species, where a portion of individuals in populations with access to the sea perform migrations to use the richer feeding resources. We investigated the effect of salmon lice Lepeophtheirus salmonis (Krøyer 1837) infestation on the survival and behaviour of wild trout post-smolts (average fork length = 180 mm) during their marine migration. Comparisons of the marine migratory behaviour were made between an artificially infested group (n = 74) and a control group (n = 71) in an area with low natural lice infestation pressure. Artificial infestation was estimated to cause 100% prevalence and a mean intensity of 65 lice fish-1 (mean relative intensity of 2.4 lice g-1 fish). Survival analysis showed limited statistical power but revealed lice-induced mortality, with an estimated hazard ratio of 2.73 (95% CI = 1.04-7.13) compared to the control group, when data from a previous pilot study were included. Surviving individuals in the infested group additionally responded by residing closer to fresh water while at sea, and by prematurely returning to fresh water. On average, infested fish returned to fresh water after only 18 d at sea, while control fish spent on average 100 d at sea. The residency in the inner part of the fjord and the premature return to fresh water represent an adaptive behavioural response to survive the infestation, at the probable cost of reduced growth opportunities and compromised future fitness.

Mapping Quantitative Trait Loci for Resistance to Fall Armyworm (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae) Leaf-Feeding Damage in Maize Inbred Mp705

The fall armyworm, Spodoptera frugiperda (J. E. Smith), is an agronomically important pest that severely limits maize (Zea mays (Linnaeus) [Poales: Poaceae]) production. This migrant insect devastates maize plants in many countries threatening the livelihood of millions. Quantitative trait loci (QTL) were mapped to identify chromosomal regions that control resistance to fall armyworm leaf-feeding and to identify molecular markers linked to the target loci for use in marker-assisted selection (MAS). A bi-parental mapping population, comprising 243 F2:3 families from the cross Mp705 (resistant) × Mp719 (susceptible), was evaluated for fall armyworm leaf-feeding damage under artificial infestation over 3 yr. A linkage map comprised of 1,276 single-nucleotide polymorphism and simple sequence repeat molecular markers was constructed. Quantitative trait loci analyses identified two major QTL in bins 4.06 and 9.03 that when combined, explained 35.7% of the phenotypic variance over all environments. Mp705 was responsible for the leaf-feeding damage reducing alleles for both large effect QTL and most of the small effect QTL identified in this study. The QTL identified in bin 9.03 co-locates with a previously identified QTL that controls resistance to leaf-feeding damage in maize by fall armyworm and other lepidopteran insects. The QTL in bin 4.06 is a new source of resistance identified in this study. Beneficial alleles derived from Mp705 for the application of an integrated QTL-MAS approach could accelerate breeding efforts to minimize fall armyworm leaf-feeding in maize.

First report on the susceptibility of certain dry Egyptian common bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) (Fabaceae) varieties to infestation by Acanthoscelides obtectus (Say, 1831) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Bruchinae)

Stored dry common bean seeds are subject to infestation by Acanthoscelides obtectus, which reduces the quality of the infested seeds and depletes their nutritional value, making them unfit for human consumption. The susceptibility of three Egyptian varieties to infestation by A. obtectus was investigated. The Nebraska variety was the most susceptible, with 34.5 and 62% infestation at artificial infestation levels that included 5 and 10 pairs of insects for every fifty seeds, respectively, followed by the Karnak and Giza 6 varieties. The maximum weight losses as a result of insect infestation were observed for Nebraska seeds, and as expected, the maximum numbers of emerged adults after 50 days of storage were also observed for this variety. Maximum means of infested seeds were recorded in the Nebraska and Karnak varieties at the 10- pair infestation level. According to the infestation index, the Giza 6 and Karnak varieties were moderately resistant, while the Nebraska variety was susceptible at the 10-pair infestation level. Moreover, changes in the chemical composition of infested dry common bean seeds were inconsistent, with increases in some nutritional properties (protein and fibre contents) and decreases in others (moisture, carbohydrate and fat contents).