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Summary 1. The relationship between oviposition preference and offspring performance was investigated experimentally for the Hessian fly Mayetiola destructor (Say) using 10 grass genotypes that represented five different genera and six different species. Oviposition preferences were quantified in a choice test using arrays of 200–400 plants. Offspring performance was estimated by recording survival during three phases of the insect–plant association and by measuring wing length, a correlate of adult reproductive potential. Density effects were examined for all offspring variables, and were taken into account when offspring performance was compared across the 10 grasses. 2. Egg counts from the oviposition choice test revealed a consistent ranking of plants: 18ITSN triticale > Otane bread wheat = Caldwell bread wheat = Stacy bread wheat > 3424 bread wheat = PND durum wheat = Fleet barley = Valetta barley = Matua brome grass > Awapuni oat. 3. Survival and adult wing length varied significantly on the 10 plant types. Survival was ranked: Otane bread wheat > 3424 bread wheat = Fleet barley = Matua brome grass > Caldwell bread wheat = Valetta barley > 18ITSN triticale = PND durum wheat = Stacy bread wheat > Awapuni oat. Adult male and female wing lengths were greatest on Otane, the bread wheat that also provided the best survival. 4. For Hessian flies on each of the 10 plant types, data on survival, wing length, and wing length–fecundity relationships were combined into a single fitness measure. When these fitness measures were compared with egg counts, no overall pattern emerged. On seven of the 10 plant types, there was a positive linear relationship between egg counts and offspring fitness. On the other three plant types, egg counts were high while fitness was low. Possible reasons why Hessian fly females lay eggs on plants that are poor hosts for their offspring are discussed.

The inheritance of the purple pericarp character in wheat was determined in two crosses using a derivative of the New Zealand purple cultivar 'Konini'. In both crosses the purple colour was maternally controlled by dominant duplicate genes, with either recessive homozygote epistatic to the effects of the other gene. At the same time the purple character was used as a marker to determine outcrossing levels in 10 New Zealand cultivars, divided into two groups on the basis of the origin of their parents. The outcrossing rates ranged from 0.14 to 3.95070 over the 10 cultivars, but there was no difference between the two groups. Problems of pure seed production are discussed in relation to these results.

The National Beef Quality Audit (NBQA) is conducted every 5 yr and was most recently again conducted in 2016. Face-to-face interviews gauged progress in quality associated with live cattle production using procedures first utilized in NBQA 2011. The 2016 NBQA was the first in which interviews concerning fed steers and heifers were combined with an audit of market cow and bull beef. Face-to-face interviews were designed to illicit definitions for beef quality, estimate willingness to pay (WTP) for quality attributes, establish relative importance rankings for important quality factors, and assess images, strengths, weaknesses, potential threats, and shifting trends in the beef industry since the 2011 audit. Individuals making purchasing decisions in 5 market sectors of the steer/heifer and cow/bull beef supply chain were interviewed, including packers (n = 36), retailers (including large and small supermarket companies and warehouse food sales companies; n = 35), food service operators (including quick-serve, full-service, and institutional establishments; n = 29), further processors (n = 64), and peripherally-related government and trade organizations (GTO; n = 30). Face-to-face interviews were conducted between January and November of 2016 using a designed dynamic routing system. Definitions (as described by interviewees) for 7 pre-determined quality factors, including: (1) How and where the cattle were raised, (2) Lean, fat, and bone, (3) Weight and size, (4) Visual characteristics, (5) Food safety, (6) Eating satisfaction, and (7) Cattle genetics were recorded verbatim and categorized into similar responses for analysis. Compared to NBQA-2011, a higher percentage of companies were willing to pay premiums for guaranteed quality attributes, but overall were willing to pay lower average premiums than the companies interviewed in 2011. Food safety had the highest share of preference among all interviewees, generating a double-digit advantage over any other quality factor. The 2 beef industries have an overall positive image among interviewees, and despite lingering weaknesses, product quality continued to be at the forefront of the strengths category for both steer and heifer beef and market cow and bull beef.