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A crisp new iceberg lettuce, named Tiber, thrives while other lettuces
succumb to tipburn. Among the top 10 disorders or diseases of
American-grown lettuces, tipburn causes inner leaves of vulnerable
lettuces to turn brown. After six years of testing, ARS this year
offered the dark-green lettuce to seed companies and breeders for planting
in Arizona and California. Those states produce 95 percent of the
nation's iceberg lettuce. Tiber's name incorporates the "TBR"
abbreviation breeders use to designate tipburn resistance. Tipburn occurs
when hot weather, too much water or too much fertilizer causes leaves to
grow too fast and run out of calcium. Leaf edges killed by tipburn are
vulnerable to slime-producing bacteria and fungi that can rot the whole
head. Tiber is the offspring of two other ARS lettuces--Salinas and
Vanguard 75. Iceberg lettuce is America's second favorite vegetable.
U.S. Agricultural Research Station, Salinas, CA
Edward J. Ryder, (408) 755-2860
A new southernpea for gardeners and farmers fights off damaging
nematodes, insects and diseases. Now available to seed producers, the
new variety, Tender Cream, is ideal for southeastern states, where it also
gets high grades as a canned pea. It produced 18 percent more peas than
the top commercial varieties during 1994 region-wide field tests. Its
pods are slightly curved, about six inches long, and contain about 14
peas. In the field tests, it had 75 to 98 percent fewer cowpea curculio
larvae than susceptible varieties. Tender Cream also had 22 percent
higher yields than a similar variety that was susceptible to root-knot
nematodes. The variety also has resistance to blackeye cowpea and
southern bean mosaic viruses, as well as other diseases. Limited amounts
of seed are available to certified seed producers and to breeders.
U.S.
Vegetable Laboratory, Charleston, SC
Richard L. Fery, (803) 556-0840
A new soybean breeding line resists the fungal disease Sudden Death
Syndrome (SDS), soybean cyst nematodes and two species of root knot
nematodes. Developed by ARS and Mississippi State University
researchers, the new line D83-3349 is available to public and private
soybean breeders. Because of its multiple pest resistance, D83-3349 is a
promising parent for new soybean varieties in the Midsouth where soybean
cyst nematode and SDS are serious problems. Seeds for research breeding
may be obtained from the Soybean Production Research Laboratory, P.O. Box
196, Stoneville, MS 38776.
Soybean
Production Research, Stoneville, MS
Edgar E. Hartwig, (601) 686-3126
DNA probes can quickly unmask the fungal pathogen that causes Sudden
Death Syndrome (SDS) in soybean fields. Diagnosis comes in less than
24 hours, compared with up to four weeks for standard methods. SDS
affects soybeans in Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Missouri, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin.
Developed by ARS researchers, the DNA probes are based on computerized
genetic information from all species of Fusarium, including the SDS
culprit. In laboratory tests, the probes accurately identified the SDS
pathogen from other isolates of Fusarium and from infected plants.
Microbial Properties Research,
Peoria, IL
Kerry O'Donnell, (309) 681-6383
Last updated: October 30, 1996
Return to: Quarterly Report
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