Three inoculation methods (natural, spraying and pouring) of Stenocarpella maydis in corn cobs were compared for their efficiency in screening corn genotypes for resistance to this pathogen. A total of six corn hybrids were inoculated with each method. Natural infection, spraying a conidial suspension on stigmas, or pouring it directly onto corn ears resulted in 21.02%, 39.78%, and 44.32% of infected ears. The high disease pressure provided by artificial inoculation of S. maydis allowed for a better differentiation between resistant and susceptible corn hybrids. The pouring technique was the easiest to carry out and better than the other methods under field conditions.
S. macrospora; Stenocarpella maydis; Zea mays; breeding
