Evaluation of Maize Hybrids for Resistance to Ear Rot Caused by Dominant Fusarium Species in Northeast China

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Dear Editors and Authors,

The proposed study 'Evaluation of Maize Hybrids for Resistance to Ear Rot Caused by Dominant Fusarium Species in Northeast China' provides valuable insight into the occurrence and distribution of different Fusarium species in the three selected provinces, as well as the resistance of the large number of commercial hybrids grown in Northeast China.

It is original, clearly presented and well-structured paper, with the relevant and recent references cited. 

The figures and tables are very easy to follow and understand, with one exception - I have suggested some modifications to Figure 1 to provide context for the detailed sampling regions shown.

Some comments on technical issues and suggestions for minor revisions are given in the attached PDF file.

Kind regards

Comments for author File: Comments.pdf

 Minor editing of English language required

Author Response

Thank you for your letter and for the comments concerning our manuscript entitled “Evaluation of maize hybrids for resistance to ear rot caused by dominant Fusarium species in Northeast China”. All the comments were valuable and very helpful for revision and improvement of our paper, as well as the important guiding significance to our research. We have studied all the comments carefully and have made corrections which we hope meet with approval.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

Dear authors

The manuscript describes the resistance of 97 hybrids of maize to Fusarium spp. The paper is well written, well-structured and provides clear information about the research objectives, methods, and key finding. 

Anyway, some comments:

-          The paper mentions that 366 single conidial isolates of Fusarium spp. were obtained from three provinces of Northeast China, which is a decent sample size. However, it would be helpful to know if this sample is representative of the entire region and if any biases may have influenced the results. It should be more interesting to relate the geographical areas with some environmental parameter. Although the climatic conditions are well mentioned in the text, could be useful to have a graphical image of the situation. Providing graphical representations, such as maps or charts, to illustrate the spatial distribution of Fusarium species would enhance visualization and understanding of the results

-          The sampling strategy appears to be robust, covering 15 regions in Northeast China where severe ear rot has occurred. However, it would be beneficial to specify better the number of samples collected from each region to assess the representativeness of the sample. I cannot find this information clearly. It doesn’t seem statistically enough.

-            Regarding he method of isolating pathogens, it would be helpful to mention the rationale for using streptomycin in the PDA medium and whether any validation tests were conducted to ensure its effectiveness in inhibiting bacterial growth without affecting fungal growth…I mean, to show for example the IC50 values. You only mentioned the value of  100 μg/mL ...

-          The method for inoculum preparation is described well, but it lacks information on the “quality control” measures taken to ensure uniformity and viability of the inoculum. Providing details on how the aggressiveness of the isolate was determined and how the consistency of inoculum preparation was maintained would enhance the reliability of the experimental results. Moreover, some images regarding the infection could be helpful. The criteria that you chose to evaluate the resistance or damage rate seems a bit poor if they are not enough described or showed by some images.

-          In the Fig 4 it is better to specify the categories rather than the percentage number

-          The statistical analysis methods are mentioned, but it would be helpful to provide more detail on the specific statistical tests used and the criteria for determining statistical significance. Table 3 is not clear regarding this point. In my opinion statistical measures of variability, such as confidence intervals, to provide a more comprehensive understanding of the variability in disease parameters among hybrids could be better represented.

-          The comparison of resistance categories among provinces provides valuable insights. However, it would be beneficial to discuss better the potential reasons for differences in resistance levels among provinces, such as differences in environmental conditions or management practices. The discussion section is insightful. However, providing additional context on how environmental factors may influence disease severity and resistance levels would enhance the interpretation of the results.

moderate revison 

Author Response

Thank you for your letter and for the comments concerning our manuscript entitled “Evaluation of maize hybrids for resistance to ear rot caused by dominant Fusarium species in Northeast China”. All the comments were valuable and very helpful for revision and improvement of our paper, as well as the important guiding significance to our research. We have studied all the comments carefully and have made corrections which we hope meet with approval.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf