Recurrent Selection for European Corn Borer Resistance in Maize¹

Abstract

Three cycles of recurrent selection for leaf‐feeding resistance to the European corn borer [ Ostrinia nubilalis (Hübner)] were evaluated in five synthetic varieties of maize. A group of S 1 lines fom the original population and from the populations derived from each cycle of selection in each variety were grown in field trials. Each line was manually infested with corn borer eggs and rated for borer leaf feeding. Two cycles of selection were sufficient to shift the frequencies of resistance genes to a high leval in all varietties. Three cycles produced essentially borer‐resistant varieties.