The Reaction of Inbred, Single, Three-way and Four-way Hybrid Corns to Wheat Streak Mosaic Virus and Kernel Red Streak

Wheat streak mosaic is a widespread and important disease of wheat, Triticum aestivum (L.), in the United States and Canada. Evidence of its presence in Rumania and Jordan has been reported. A disease of wheat in the USSR may also be caused by wheat streak mosaic virus (WSMV). The virus vector is Aceria tuljpae ( K.) , an eriophyid mite, commonly referred to as the wheat curl mite. Slykhuis reported that wheat was the favored host of the wheat curl mite. Orlob also reported that corn seedlings, Zea mays (L.), were favorable hosts for the mites. Nault et, added that inbred lines were more preferred as hosts by the mites than were hybrids. Connin, suggested that corn was a possible oversummering reservoir for both the virus and the vector. In Ohio, mites were found in abundance on silks and husks on commercial corn hybrids. The discovery of abundant mites under the husks of corn ears led some workers to believe that mite feeding was the cause of a disease referred to as kernel red streak (KRS). The same disease on corn was reported from norti1ern Indiana, northeastern Ohio, southern Michigan and Canada in 1964, and in South Dakota in 1965. A similar malady was reported in Bulgaria, Chile, France, Portugal, Rumania, and Yugoslavia. The present investigation was designed to study the reaction of different corn inbreeds and hybrids to WSMV infection, to its mite vector, and the relation of mite infestation and virus infection or both to the kernel red streak disease