Susceptibility of maize genotypes to Rhyzopertha dominica (F.)

This work examined the survival of Rhyzopertha dominica on maize kernels differing either for specific traits or for their genetic background. Maize traits comprised endosperm starch composition, and accumulation of pigments, i.e., carotenoids and anthocyanins, in the aleurone, while maize genotypes included the B73 reference line, the high oil content RAlexo line and the commercial variety Zea mays everta (popcorn). Kernels of the different genotypes were classified according to the endosperm texture. The number of adults of R. dominica developing from neonate larvae on both whole and sectioned kernels was measured. Differences were only observed in experiments with whole kernels. The lowest value was observed for the B73 line, and the highest for the popcorn variety. These two genotypes have the lowest and highest proportions of vitreous endosperm, respectively. In our experimental conditions, variations in the insect attack were observed in different lines, thus indicating that the insect–kernel interaction is influenced by quantitative more than single-gene traits.