ARS | Publication request: PERFORMANCE OF BARLEY CULTIVARS EXPRESSING VARIATION IN SUSCEPTIBILITY TO RUSSIAN WHEAT APHID INFESTATION

Submitted to: Agronomy Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: October 19, 1998
Publication Date: N/A

Technical Abstract: Several barley breeding programs are developing cultivars with resistance to the Russian Wheat Aphis (RWA, Diuraphis noxia (Mordvilko)). Very little field data exists on the impact of RWA infestation on cultivars expressing resistance. This study examines the impact of RWA feeding on barley cultivars varying in their degree of resistance to RWA. Five cultivars were studied; a susceptible control, a resistance parent, a resistance backcross-one progeny, a moderately resistant parent, and a moderately resistant backcross-one progeny. Manual infestation of RWA occurred during the two leaf (Zakods 12) stage. With early infestation, grain yield for the susceptible control decreased 79%, the resistant backcross line decreased 10%, and the intermediate backcross line decreased 39%. First year agronomic results indicate a minimal impact of RWA infestation on the resistant cultivars compared to the susceptible control. However, cultivars with intermediate levels of resistance may not be adequate to prevent serious injury. Two years of agronomic data and first year malt quality data will be reported.