scholarly journals Potential Sources of Resistance to Cucurbit Powdery Mildew in U.S. Plant Introductions of Bottle Gourd

HortScience ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 43 (5) ◽  
pp. 1359-1364 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chandrasekar S. Kousik ◽  
Amnon Levi ◽  
Kai-Shu Ling ◽  
W. Patrick Wechter

Powdery mildew (Podosphaera xanthii) can cause severe damage to cucurbit crops grown in open fields and greenhouses. In recent years, there has been an increased interest in the United States in grafting watermelon plants onto various cucurbit rootstocks. Bottle gourd plants (Lagenaria siceraria) are being used throughout the world as rootstocks for grafting watermelon. Although gourd plants are beneficial, they may still be susceptible hosts to various soilborne and foliar diseases. Bottle gourd plant introductions (PI) resistant to diseases and pests can be a valuable source of germplasm in rootstock breeding programs. We evaluated 234 U.S. PIs of L. siceraria for tolerance to powdery mildew in two greenhouse tests. Young seedlings were inoculated by dusting powdery mildew spores of melon race 1 on the cotyledons. Plants were rated 2 weeks after inoculation using a 1 to 9 scale of increasing disease severity. Although none of the L. siceraria PIs were immune to powdery mildew, several PIs had significantly lower levels of powdery mildew severity compared with susceptible watermelon cultivar Mickey Lee. The experiment was repeated with 26 select PIs on whole seedlings and cotyledon disks. Significant variability in the level of resistance to powdery mildew on plants within PI was observed. Moderate resistance in several PIs to powdery mildew was confirmed. PI 271353 had consistently lower ratings in the various tests and can be considered the most resistant to P. xanthii race 1 among the L. siceraria accessions evaluated in this study. A few other PIs with moderate resistance to powdery mildew included PI 271357, PI 381840, and PI 273663. These results suggest that novel sources of resistance could be developed by careful selection and screening of several of the PIs with moderate resistance described in our study.

HortScience ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 42 (7) ◽  
pp. 1539-1544 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chandrasekar S. Kousik ◽  
B.M. Shepard ◽  
Richard Hassell ◽  
Amnon Levi ◽  
Alvin M. Simmons

Two hundred nineteen U.S. plant introductions (PI) belonging to the watermelon core collection were evaluated for broad mite, Polyphagotarsonemus latus (Banks), infestation and injury that occurred naturally in a field planting. Of the 219 PIs, nine (4%) had no visible broad mite injury in the field compared with a commercial cultivar, ‘Mickey Lee’, which was severely injured. Injury mainly occurred on the growing terminals and the tender apical leaves. The growing terminals and the apical leaves were bronzed, grew poorly and, in some cases, they were distorted and curled upward. Broad mites were extracted by washing the growing terminals of 22 selected PIs with boiling water and counting the mites under a stereomicroscope. ‘Mickey Lee’ had more broad mites on growing terminals compared with some of the PIs with no visible injury. Fourteen selected PIs were further evaluated in the greenhouse to confirm their resistance by artificially infesting them with broad mites that had been cultured on susceptible watermelon plants. PIs in accessions belonging to Citrullus lanatus var. lanatus (PI 357708), Citrullus lanatus var. citroides (PI 500354), Citrullus colocynthis (PI 386015, PI 386016, PI 525082), and Parecitrullus fistulosus (PI 449332) had significantly lower broad mite injury ratings and counts compared with ‘Mickey Lee’ and other susceptible PIs. Broad mites have not been reported on watermelons in the United States before; however, it can emerge as a serious pest. The previously mentioned accessions can serve as potential sources of broad mite resistance for use in breeding programs aimed at enhancing pest resistance in watermelon.


HortScience ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 41 (3) ◽  
pp. 520A-520
Author(s):  
J. A. Thies ◽  
A. Levi

Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne incognita, M. arenaria, and M. javanica) cause severe damage to watermelon and resistance has not been identified in any watermelon cultivar. In greenhouse tests, we evaluated 265 U.S. plant introductions (PIs) for nematode resistance (based on root galling and nematode reproduction), and identified 22 PIs of Citrullus lanatus var. citroides as moderately resistant to M. arenaria race 1. In subsequent tests, these 22 PIs exhibited low to moderate resistance to M. incognita race 3 and M. arenaria race 2. Three watermelon (C. lanatus var. lanatus) cultivars (Charleston Gray, Crimson Sweet, and Dixie Lee), three C. colocynthis PIs, and four C. lanatus var. citroides PIs, all previously shown to be susceptible to M. arenaria race 1, were susceptible to M. incognita race 3 and M. arenaria race 2. The C. lanatus var. citroides PIs that are most resistant to both M. incognita and M. arenaria should be useful sources of resistance for developing root-knot nematode resistant watermelon cultivars.


HortScience ◽  
2007 ◽  
Vol 42 (7) ◽  
pp. 1530-1533 ◽  
Author(s):  
Judy A. Thies ◽  
Amnon Levi

Root-knot nematodes (Meloidogyne spp.) cause extensive damage to watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai var. lanatus], and resistance to root-knot nematodes has not been identified in any watermelon cultivar. Twenty-six U.S. Plant Introductions (PIs) of Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai var. citroides (L. H. Bailey) Mansf., one PI of C. lanatus var. lanatus, and three PIs of Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad. were evaluated in greenhouse tests for resistances to Meloidogyne incognita (Kofoid & White) Chitwood race 3 and Meloidogyne arenaria (Neal) Chitwood race 2. Twenty-three of the C. lanatus var. citroides PIs and the C. lanatus var. lanatus PIs were previously identified as moderately resistant to M. arenaria race 1. Overall, the C. lanatus var. citroides PIs exhibited low to moderate resistance, and the C. lanatus var. lanatus and C. colocynthis PIs were susceptible to both M. incognita race 3 and M. arenaria race 2. The C. lanatus var. citroides PI 482303 was the most resistant PI with gall index (GI) = 2.88 and reproductive index (RI) = 0.34 for M. incognita race 3 and GI = 3.46 and RI = 0.38 for M. arenaria race 2 (1 = no galling; 5 = 26% to 38% root system galled; 9 = 81% to 100% root system galled). These results demonstrate that there is significant genetic variability within C. lanatus var. citroides for reaction to M. incognita and M. arenaria race 2, and several C. lanatus var. citroides PIs may provide sources of resistance to root-knot nematodes.


Plant Disease ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 103 (5) ◽  
pp. 984-989 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sandra E. Branham ◽  
Amnon Levi ◽  
W. Patrick Wechter

Fusarium wilt race 1, caused by the soilborne fungus Fusarium oxysporum Schlechtend.: Fr. f. sp. niveum (E.F. Sm.) W.C. Snyder & H.N. Hans (Fon), is a major disease of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) in the United States and throughout the world. Although Fusarium wilt race 1 resistance has been incorporated into several watermelon cultivars, identification of additional genetic sources of resistance is crucial if a durable and sustainable level of resistance is to be continued over the years. We conducted a genetic mapping study to identify quantitative trait loci (QTLs) associated with resistance to Fon race 1 in segregating populations (F2:3 and recombinant inbred lines) of Citrullus amarus (citron melon) derived from the Fon race 1 resistant and susceptible parents USVL246-FR2 and USVL114, respectively. A major QTL (qFon1-9) associated with resistance to Fon race 1 was identified on chromosome 9 of USVL246-FR2. This discovery provides a novel genetic source of resistance to Fusarium wilt race 1 in watermelon and, thus, an additional host-resistance option for watermelon breeders to further the effort to mitigate this serious phytopathogen.


2015 ◽  
Vol 105 (1) ◽  
pp. 110-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. P. Naegele ◽  
A. J. Tomlinson ◽  
M. K. Hausbeck

Pepper is the third most important solanaceous crop in the United States and fourth most important worldwide. To identify sources of resistance for commercial breeding, 170 pepper genotypes from five continents and 45 countries were evaluated for Phytophthora fruit rot resistance using two isolates of Phytophthora capsici. Genetic diversity and population structure were assessed on a subset of 157 genotypes using 23 polymorphic simple sequence repeats. Partial resistance and isolate-specific interactions were identified in the population at both 3 and 5 days postinoculation (dpi). Plant introductions (PIs) 640833 and 566811 were the most resistant lines evaluated at 5 dpi to isolates 12889 and OP97, with mean lesion areas less than Criollo de Morelos. Genetic diversity was moderate (0.44) in the population. The program STRUCTURE inferred four genetic clusters with moderate to very great differentiation among clusters. Most lines evaluated were susceptible or moderately susceptible at 5 dpi, and no lines evaluated were completely resistant to Phytophthora fruit rot. Significant population structure was detected when pepper varieties were grouped by predefined categories of disease resistance, continent, and country of origin. Moderately resistant or resistant PIs to both isolates of P. capsici at 5 dpi were in genetic clusters one and two.


2018 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 258-264
Author(s):  
David H. Gent ◽  
Briana J. Claassen ◽  
Megan C. Twomey ◽  
Sierra N. Wolfenbarger

Powdery mildew (caused by Podosphaera macularis) is one of the most important diseases of hop in the western United States. Strains of the fungus virulent on cultivars possessing the resistance factor termed R6 and the cultivar Cascade have become widespread in the Pacific Northwestern United States, the primary hop producing region in the country, rendering most cultivars grown susceptible to the disease at some level. In an effort to identify potential sources of resistance in extant germplasm, 136 male accessions of hop contained in the U.S. Department of Agriculture collection were screened under controlled conditions. Iterative inoculations with three isolates of P. macularis with varying race identified 23 (16.9%) accessions with apparent resistance to all known races of the pathogen present in the Pacific Northwest. Of the 23 accessions, 12 were resistant when inoculated with three additional isolates obtained from Europe that possess novel virulences. The nature of resistance in these individuals is unclear but does not appear to be based on known R genes. Identification of possible novel sources of resistance to powdery mildew will be useful to hop breeding programs in the western United States and elsewhere.


Plant Disease ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 92 (1) ◽  
pp. 91-95 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sukhwinder Singh ◽  
William W. Bockus ◽  
Indu Sharma ◽  
Robert L. Bowden

Tan spot, caused by the fungus Pyrenophora tritici-repentis, causes serious yield losses in wheat (Triticum aestivum) and many other grasses. Race 1 of the fungus, which produces the necrosis toxin Ptr ToxA and the chlorosis toxin Ptr ToxC, is the most prevalent race in the Great Plains of the United States. Wheat genotypes with useful levels of resistance to race 1 have been deployed, but this resistance reduces damage by only 50 to 75%. Therefore, new sources of resistance to P. tritici-repentis are needed. Recombinant inbred lines developed from a cross between the Indian spring wheat cvs. WH542 (resistant) and HD29 (moderately susceptible) were evaluated for reaction to race 1 of the fungus. Composite interval mapping revealed quantitative trait loci (QTL) on the short arm of chromosome 3A explaining 23% of the phenotypic variation, and the long arm of chromosome 5B explaining 27% of the variation. Both resistance alleles were contributed by the WH542 parent. The QTL on 5BL is probably tsn1, which was described previously. The 3AS QTL (QTs.ksu-3AS) on 3AS is a novel QTL for resistance to P. tritici-repentis race 1. The QTL region is located in the most distal bin of chromosome 3AS in a 2.2-centimorgan marker interval. Flanking markers Xbarc45 and Xbarc86 are suitable for marker-assisted selection for tan spot resistance.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leonor Ruiz-García ◽  
Pilar Gago ◽  
Celia Martínez-Mora ◽  
José Luis Santiago ◽  
Diego J. Fernádez-López ◽  
...  

The need to develop an environmentally friendly, sustainable viticulture model has led to numerous grapevine improvement programmes aiming to increase resistance to downy and powdery mildew. The success of such programmes relies on the availability of protocols that can quantify the resistance/susceptibility of new genotypes, and on the existence of molecular markers of resistance loci that can aid in the selection process. The present work assesses the degree of phenotypic resistance/susceptibility to downy and powdery mildew of 28 new genotypes obtained from crosses between “Monastrell” and “Regent.” Three genotypes showed strong combined resistance, making them good candidates for future crosses with other sources of resistance to these diseases (pyramiding). In general, laboratory and glasshouse assessments of resistance at the phenotype level agreed with the resistance expected from the presence of resistance-associated alleles of simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers for the loci Rpv3 and Ren3 (inherited from “Regent”), confirming their usefulness as indicators of likely resistance to downy and powdery mildew, respectively, particularly so for downy mildew.


HortScience ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 54 (1) ◽  
pp. 4-7 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jack E. McCoy ◽  
Paul W. Bosland

Powdery mildew [Leveillula taurica (Lév.) Arn] is a fungus causing epidemics on chile peppers (Capsicum sp.) worldwide. It was first observed in New Mexico in the late 1990s and has been a reoccurring issue. During the 2017 growing season, environmental conditions were highly favorable for powdery mildew development and severe infection was observed. This provided a unique opportunity to identify novel sources of resistance in Capsicum to powdery mildew. In the present study, the incidence and severity of powdery mildew was evaluated for 152 chile pepper accessions comprising different cultivars and species. Major differences in disease severity and incidence were observed among the accessions. Of the 152 accessions, 53 were resistant, i.e., received a disease index (DI) score of ≤1. When examining across Capsicum species, 16 Capsicum annuum accessions, all 8 Capsicum baccatum, all 21 Capsicum chinense, 5 of 6 Capsicum frutescens, the Capsicum chacoense accession, and the Capsicum rhomboideum accession were resistant. These results provide several accessions with resistance that can be used in breeding programs. Especially important are the C. annuum resistant accessions, as this resistance can be more quickly incorporated into commercially important C. annuum cultivars as compared with interspecific hybridizations.


HortScience ◽  
2009 ◽  
Vol 44 (2) ◽  
pp. 256-262 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chandrasekar S. Kousik ◽  
Scott Adkins ◽  
William W. Turechek ◽  
Pamela D. Roberts

Watermelon vine decline (WVD) is a new and emerging disease caused by the whitefly-transmitted squash vein yellowing virus (SqVYV). The disease has become a major limiting factor in watermelon [Citrullus lanatus (Thunb.) Matsum. & Nakai] production in southwest and west–central Florida and is estimated to have caused more than $60 million in losses. Symptoms of WVD typically occur at or just before harvest and are manifested as sudden decline of the vines, often with a reduction in fruit quality. In this study, we present results of greenhouse and field evaluations of U.S. plant introductions (PIs) for resistance to SqVYV. Of the 218 PIs we evaluated for resistance to SqVYV, none were completely immune, but several showed varying levels of resistance and these were further evaluated in two greenhouse and field trials. Disease progress was significantly slower on the selected PIs compared with disease progress on susceptible watermelon cultivars Mickey Lee and Crimson Sweet. Moderate resistance was observed in two C. colocynthis (PI 386015 and PI 386024), a Praecitrullus fistulosus (PI 381749), and two C. lanatus var. lanatus PIs (PI 482266 and PI 392291). Variability in the resistant reaction to SqVYV within most PIs was observed. The identification of potential sources of partial resistance to SqVYV suggests that watermelon germplasm with moderate resistance can be developed by careful screening and selection of individual resistant plants within these PIs for use in breeding programs.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document