Potential pest of high amylopectin and rich anthocyanin corn varieties

Abstract

As part of plant breeding activities, the resistance of cultivated plants to pest attacks is one of the characteristics that must be prioritized. This research was conducted to study the type of pest and their damage intensity as the first step in the breeding program of waxy corn and black corn. The study was carried out through field survey activity on a weekly observation starting from plants aged 1 to 12 weeks old after planting. The type of pest found was identified and the damage intensity was calculated. The type of pests found consisted of grasshoppers, thrips, stem borer, earworm, and rat as well. There was no difference in population size and damage intensity of all pests in two corn varieties. The population size and damage intensity of all pests were affected by the age of corn plant because each pest was attacked at different times either when the plants were in the vegetative or generative phase or both. Generally, the damage intensity of pest is still in the mild to moderate category. A monitoring activity needs to be conducted in the subsequent activity to obtain information on the development of these potential pest species and their populations size.