Ovipositional Antixenosis in Some Barley Accessions to Barley Shoot Fly

Abstract

Ovipositional antixenosis to Barley shoot fly Delia flavibasis was studied using five resistant accessions and one susceptible variety (control) both in the field and pot culture experiments. The study was undertaken at the Sinana Agricultural Research Center in bona season (August-December, 2002) under natural infestation in the field and artificial infestation in the pot culture. In the single choice tests (pot culture experiment), the result was not consistent as to whether the susceptible HB-42, or the resistant accessions were more preferred. PGRCE/E 1799 and PGRCE/E 4409 accessions were significantly more preferred to HB-42 whereas PGRCE/E 4414, PGRCE/E 4282 accessions and Arusso were significantly less preferred to HB-42. In the multiple choice test (field experiment), statistically significant variation was revealed among the treatments in terms of average number of eggs per plant, per centage of plants with eggs and main shoot and tiller infestation. HB-42 was the most preferred for oviposition to all the entries as it had the highest mean values for all these parameters. But PGRCE/E 1799 and PGRCE/E 4409 were in contrast the least preferred. Hence, antixenosis mechanism of resistance was confirmed to prominently function in the resistance of barley against D. flavibasis.