Desalegn D. Serba1, Robert C. Shearman1, Tiffany M. Heng-Moss1, Donald J. Lee2, Gautam Sarath1, and Bekele G. Abeyo1. (1) University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 377 Plant Science Hall, Lincoln, NE 68583, (2) Agronomy and Horticulture, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, 262 Plant Science Hall, Lincoln, NE 68583
The western chinch bug, Blissus occiduus (Hemiptera:
Lygaeidae) is an important insect pest of
buffalograss turf in Nebraska.
Fifteen diploid, tetraploid and hexaploid
genotypes were evaluated for chinch bug resistance under greenhouse conditions
using second generation chinch bugs. The buffalograsses
Prestige and 378 served as resistant and susceptible control, respectively. The
experimental design was a completely randomized design with eight replications.
Ten adult chinch bugs collected from infested buffalograss fields were
introduced into caged single clone buffalograss genotypes at the same growth
stage. Plant damage was assessed using a 1-5 visual rating scale at three days
interval for until 378, the susceptible
control reached a mean damage rate of 4.0 or higher. Damage rating taken
at 26 and 29 days after infestation (DAI) were subjected to statistical
analysis. Highly significant differences were observed among the genotypes. The
mean damage rating at 29 DAI was used to categorize the genotypes for
resistance. The test genotypes ranged from moderately resistant to moderately
susceptible. Genotypes Density, 196, 184, Bowie
and Legacy were found to be moderately resistant (damage rating >2, but ≤3),
while NE2990 and NE2838 were moderately susceptible (damage rating>3, but ≤4).
These results document useful variations to chinch bug feeding among the
buffalograss genotypes and imply that buffalograss polyploidy does not impact
the level of chinch bug resistance.