Abstract

Corn is one of the most important agricultural crops in the world, however, it can be affected by numerous phytophagous insects that causing economic losses in production. Diceraeus melacanthus belongs to the complex of pests that attack maize. The objective of this work was to evaluate 17 maize genotypes regarding the effects of antixenosis resistance to the stink bug D. melacanthus. The experiments were carried out in a greenhouse with maize plants in stage V2 and adult stink bugs. Bioassays of attractiveness and food preference were carried out, in addition to evaluating physical and morphological factors of the plants, such as tissue hardness, number of punctures and colorimetric factors. Genotypes 30A37, IAC 8390, Defender, NS 77 and Supremo Tg were the ones that expressed the greatest antixenotic effects in tests free choice and no-choice, among these Defender and Supremo Tg due to possible morphological causes such as plant tissue hardness. Although the IAC 8390 genotype also presents great potential for resistance, it was not possible to attribute its causes, so more studies should be conducted to evaluate the possible chemical constituents that give them this characteristic.

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