Project Number: 5442-21220-023-47
Project Type: Specific Cooperative Agreement

Start Date: Jun 01, 2007
End Date: May 31, 2012

Objective:
1) Identify resistance to white mold in adapted common bean lines; 2) Assess the variation in common bean isolates of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum from major bean production areas.

Approach:
Multiple field location and greenhouse screening tests will be used to determine white mold reaction of putative sources of resistance. These lines will be provided by bean breeders and pathologists from recombinant inbred line populations, interspecific hybridizations, introgressions from wild bean Phaseolus vulgaris, and breeding lines. Field plots will be located in areas of Oregon, Michigan, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Nebraska, Washington and France with a history of white mold. All field locations plus Idaho, Colorado and New York will conduct greenhouse tests. Variations in common bean isolates of S. sclerotiorum will be assessed by determining mycelial compatibility groups of isolates from bean growing areas in the U.S., and comparing them with compatibility groups from white mold screening nurseries in the same area, e.g. Red River Valley, ND. The aggressiveness of S. sclerotiorum isolates of the above isolates will be determined by the straw test. The intraspecific variation in S. scleroriorum greenhouse isolates and field isolates collected at each screening trial site and bean growing areas will be determined by the use of four microsatellite-specific primers. Pathogen variation knowledge will guide use of specific screening isolates.