2002 Annual Report

What was your most significant accomplishment this past year?
D. Progress Report: This report project is a collaborative effort between ARS and the University of Georgia under a Specific Cooperative Agreement No. 58-6602-1-213. This subordinate project is associated with in-house project CRIS 6602-22000-031-00D, "Integration of Alternative Pest Management Strategies for the Management of Insects and Aflatoxin Contamination". Drought and insects damage to corn ears are the two main factors contributing to aflatoxin contamination in corn grown in the southeastern U.S. Research was conducted by scientists at the Crop Protection and Management Research Unit in cooperation with the University of Georgia to evaluate corn hybrids and elite lines for drought tolerance and resistance to aflatoxin formation in multi-location field trials in Georgia. Drought tolerant commercial lines, in general, had lower aflatoxin contamination, corn lines from China were identified with excellent drought tolerance, and a few putative genes related to drought stress have been identified and cloned by differential display of mRNA. Development of drought tolerant corn lines adapted to the South with resistance to insects and aflatoxin contamination would be of tremendous benefit to the poultry industry in the Southeast.

Project Team

Guo, Baozhu R. Dewey Lee - Professor 229-387-2334

Project Annual Reports

FY 2003   FY 2002   FY 2001

Related National Programs

Plant, Microbial & Insect Genetic Res., Genomics, & Genetic Improv. I (301)   Crop Protection & Quarantine (304)