Impact of Hessian fly, Mayetiola destructor, on Developmental Aspects of Hard Red Winter Wheat in Kansas

Abstract. The Hessian fly, Mayetiola destructor (Say), has historically been a major pest of wheat, Triticum aestivum L., in Kansas. Resistant cultivars are used to protect seedling wheat plants from damage by Hessian fly larvae in the fall. However, it is not known if the cultivars are resistant after winter vernalization. Experiments in a greenhouse indicated that ‘Armour', a cultivar considered intermediately resistant, remained resistant under low levels of infestation by Hessian fly, but kernel weight was significantly reduced by a mean of 0.13 g per spike when Hessian flies were abundant. In the field, Armour was not resistant post-vernalization, with infested plants having culm heights reduced by an average of 14.2 cm and kernel weight reduced by 0.10 g per spike compared to noninfested plants. In addition, infested plants had significantly fewer spikelets per spike, and fewer kernels per spike. ‘Duster', a cultivar considered very resistant, was resistant to Hessian fly larvae in the greenhouse an...