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Article: Wheat tough enough to take the Hessian fly.
- Article from:
- Agricultural Research
- Article date:
- September 1, 1991
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1991 U.S. Government Printing Office. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Wheat Tough Enough To Take the Hessian Fly
ARS researchers were part of the team that dealt the Hessian fly a one-two punch when they zapped the chromosomes of a wheat/rye hybrid with x-rays, creating a new source of Hessian fly resistance for wheat.
First identified on Long Island in 1779, the pest was apparently brought to the United States in the straw bedding of Hessian soldiers fighting in the Revolutionary War. Over time, it has spread to all major wheat growing regions of the United States. Larvae of the insect attack young wheat in the fall and again in the spring, stunting plant growth and causing yield losses of 5 to 10 percent each year.
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