Hessian Fly

Effectiveness of Resistance Genes

The effectiveness of a Hessian fly resistance gene declines over time, as a result of the development of new biotypes of Hessian fly.

Hessian flies were collected across the Southeast in 2007-2009. Hessian flies were placed in cages with wheat containing various Hessian fly resistance genes. Effectiveness of Resistance Genes Against Hessian Fly is a pdf file showing the effectiveness of various resistance genes against Hessian flies from each collection location. These data were used in the following research paper: Cambron, S. E.; G. D. Buntin, R. Weisz, J. D. Holland, K. L. Flanders, B. J. Schemerhorn, and R. H. Shukle. 2010. Virulence in Hessian fly (Diptera: Cecidomyiidae) field collections from the Southeastern United States to 21 resistance genes in wheat. J. Econ. Entomol. 103: 2229-2235.

The example below shows a change in biotype composition over time:

change in effectiveness of H7H8 resistance gene in Georgia over time
slide courtesy David Buntin, University of Georgia