Peer-review: Yes - Open Access: Yes|http://science.thomsonreuters.com/cgi-bin/jrnlst/jlresults.cgi?PC=MASTER&ISSN=0022-0493

Under field conditions, some of the wheat varieties attacked by Hessian fly (Phytophaga destructor Say) in the soft wheat belt of southeastern Kansas, show a degree of infestation different from the same varieties under infestation in the hard wheat belt of central and western Kansas. In the latter case, for instance, Kanred wheat is susceptible to fly, while Illini Chief selection 223415 carries very little or no infestation. At Columbus (southeastern) Kansas, these two varieties were about equally susceptible. In the field, some wheat varieties are resistant in both places. Under uniform greenhouse conditions, fly from the two regions gave infestations approximating the respective field results on these and other varieties. Fly from Ohio and Indiana gave infestations differing from those of the two Kansas sources and from each other. Under greenhouse conditions, infestation by fly from the hard wheat belt of wheat varieties planted on a wide range of separate soil types, did not give infestation percentages varying greatly from normal for fly from this source. Strains of fly with different infestation capacities may be selected from central Kansas fly by use of individual pairs and by mass selection. In the former case, strains have been carried through three generations without change in their infestation abilities. It is concluded that these differences in fly population are not due primarily to ecological conditions. The data tend to show that the Hessian fly population of any one locality consists of a mixture of two or more genetically distinct strains which differ in their ability to infest various wheat varieties.

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