Inheritance of Sugarcane Borer Resistance in Sugarcane Derived from Two Measures of Insect Damage

Abstract

tance and biological control each contribute 25%, and chemical control the remaining 40%. This pest manage-The sugarcane borer [Diatraea saccharalis (Fabricius)] is an imment program has provided effective and stable control portant insect pest of sugarcane grown in the Americas. Environmenof the sugarcane borer for approximately 30 yr. Pest tal and economic concerns are driving these sugarcane industries to consider alternatives to insecticides for controlling damaging infesta-management programs that rely on insecticides as a tions of the borer. Breeding for resistance is a viable option; however, principal control tactic, however, are under increasing little is known of the inheritance of sugarcane borer resistance. The economic and environmental pressures to reduce the inheritance of sugarcane borer resistance in sugarcane (Saccharum IPM's dependency on insecticides. spp. L.) was investigated in a field study conducted in 1990, 1992, and Plant resistance may provide the additional control 1993. We measured resistance by both plant damage response ratings needed to supplant insecticides in the IPM program. and mean percent internodes damaged. Seedling progeny (F 1 plants Studies on plant resistance to the sugarcane borer have generated from seed) from 21 to 27 crosses were evaluated each year. been published (Mathes and Ingram, 1944; Long et al., These progeny originated from a mating design with females nested 1978). These studies have included research to deterwithin males. Parental genotypes were randomly selected for borer mine mechanisms of sugarcane borer resistance and resistance, but were elite cultivars adapted to Louisiana. Data were collected from progeny infested with artificially introduced sugarcane methods to select for resistance (Kyle and Hensley, borers. Narrow-sense heritability on a single-plot basis (36 plants 1970; White and Hensley, 1987). Little is known of the measured per plot) for damage ratings (h 2 ϭ 0.73) and for percent inheritance of sugarcane borer resistance and breeding damaged internodes (h 2 ϭ 0.76) were high and of comparable magnimethods required to increase resistance in clonal poputude. For both traits, we detected neither dominance nor additive ϫ lations. Viator and Henderson (1971) found borer resisyear interaction; however, dominance ϫ year interaction variance tance to be quantitative in nature, but provided no meaexisted. The potential for genetic advance (GA) from direct selection sures of genetic variation, heritability, or potential gain against percent damaged internodes (GA ϭ 33.9% of mean bored from selection. internode) was higher than that from direct selection for lower damageSugarcane is a clonally propagated, out-crossing, perating (13.5% of mean rating). The much greater resources needed rennial crop that growers routinely harvest once per to effect selection for percent bored internodes (approx. 24 times that for rating) suggested direct selection for damage rating may be more year for about 3 yr before replanting. Ratoon crops efficient. Because the t...

Microarray analysis of global gene regulation in the Cry1Ab‐resistant and Cry1Ab‐susceptible strains of Diatraea saccharalis

“…The sugarcane borer, Diatraea saccharalis (Fabricius) (Lepidoptera: Crambidae), is a key pest of sugarcane in the Americas 1–3. Recently, this insect species has expanded its geographic range in the mid‐southern region of the United States4, 5 and has become the dominant corn‐stalk‐boring pest in Louisiana and the coastal area of Texas 6.…”

Influence of Rind Hardness on Sugarcane Quality

“…Keeping and Rutherford [11] reported the significant relationship between rind hardness and insect resistance, which was regulated by the fibre % cane. Hence, the rind hardness character is a good trait for imparting insect resistance [18].…”

“…The rind-hardness was determined from the third and fourth internodes below the youngest apical fully-expanded internode. These internodes are referred to as target internodes as they are sites of insect larval penetration into the stalk [8,18]. Meager information is available on the direct and indirect effects of rind hardness traits on sugarcane and sugar productivity.…”

First Record ofDiatraea tabernella(Lepidoptera: Crambidae) in the Caucariver Valley of Colombia

“…borers are considered among the most damaging of sugarcane (Saccharum spp. L; Poales: Poaceae) pests in the Americas (White et al 2001). Under the conditions of the Cauca River Valley of Colombia, the economic losses caused by Diatraea spp.…”