Resistance to Fumonisins and Fusarium Ear Rot of Corn

144 p.Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2002.The objective of this research was to identify sources of resistance to fumonisin contamination and Fusarium ear rot of corn. This research has (i) identified isolates of F. verticillioides and F. proliferatum that produce high levels of fumonisin contamination under field conditions; (ii) adapted an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay to rapidly and inexpensively quantify the concentration of fumonisin B 1, B2 and B3 from a large number of grain samples; (iii) identified an inoculation technique for Fusarium ear rot that differentiates between hybrids identified as resistant or susceptible under natural infection, and facilitates the efficient evaluation of a large number of corn genotypes each season; (iv) identified inbred lines with potential to improve the resistance of a Stiff Stalk Synthetic-derived line; (v) produced six generations of the most promising inbreds for studies of the inheritance of resistance and the identification of molecular markers associated with resistance; and (vi) evaluated the influence of CryIAb protein on fumonisin contamination and Fusarium ear rot when two lepidopteran species were predominant insect species. Results from this research will contribute to a reduction of fumonisin in commercial corn hybrids and help to minimize economic disruptions following any future regulation of fumonisins by the FDA.U of I OnlyRestricted to the U of I community idenfinitely during batch ingest of legacy ETD