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Title: A PROCEDURE FOR REPRODUCING PEANUT POD BREAKDOWN BY SCLEROTIUM ROLFSII

Author
item Melouk, Hassan
item SAUDE, C - OKLAHOMA STATE UNIV
item JACKSON, K - OKLAHOMA STATE UNIV

Submitted to: American Peanut Research and Education Society Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/1/2002
Publication Date: 12/15/2002
Citation: MELOUK, H.A., SAUDE, C., JACKSON, K.E. A PROCEDURE FOR REPRODUCING PEANUT POD BREAKDOWN BY SCLEROTIUM ROLFSII. PROCEEDINGS, AMERICAN PEANUT RESEARCH AND EDUCATION SOCIETY. 2002. V. 34. ABSTRACT P. 95.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Peanut plants 'Okrun', a Sclerotium rolfsii-susceptible cultivar were each grown for 125 days in pots (18 cm dia) containing a non-pasteurized mixture of sand, soil and shredded peat moss (2:1:1; v/v/v) in the greenhouse under favorable conditions for pod production. Individual, firm pods were lifted carefully from soil with the peg intact and washed with water. Pods were singly placed into a 7-cm long tube-like pouch made from 2.5 cm dia dialysis tubing with a molecular cut-off weight of 12,000. Pods were each inoculated with S. rolfsii by placing 2 sclerotia in contact with the distal end of the pod at the bottom of the pouch. Pouches were returned to the soil with the top rim of the pouch above the soil. The top of the pouches were closed with twist ties at about 1.5 cm above the basal end of the pods. Plants were watered for normal peanut growth. Pods were examined for infection starting at day 5 and continuing to day 15 post inoculation. Pods were evaluated for breakdown at 145 days after planting. Pod breakdown occurred in about 35% of inoculated pods. The dialysis-tubing pouches allowed normal movement of solutes around the pods in the soil environment. Also, most of the extracellular cell-wall degrading enzymes produced by S. rolfsii remained in the pouches around the pods that allowed acceleration of the pod breakdown process. This technique will be used to study factors influencing the interaction between peanut pods and S. rolfsii under controlled conditions.