Skip to main content
ARS Home » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #193989
Title: Breeding for resistance to Cercospora Leaf Spot: U.S. Perspective.

Author
item Panella, Leonard
item Hanson, Linda

Submitted to: Phytopathology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 3/31/2006
Publication Date: 6/1/2006
Citation: Panella, L.W., Hanson, L.E. 2006. Breeding for resistance to Cercospora Leaf Spot: U.S. Perspective. Phytopathology. 96:S141

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: In 1925, USDA-ARS began a breeding program to develop Cercospora leaf spot resistant (LSR) sugarbeet germplasm. The original team, led by G.H. Coons, was a collaboration of ARS scientists with the Colorado, Michigan, Minnesota, and New Mexico Agricultural Experiment Stations, and sugarbeet companies east of the Rocky Mountains. The program focused on open-pollinated varieties with LSR, but they quickly found that mass selection within open-pollinated varieties was not succeeding, and an inbreeding program was developed. This program started with inbred germplasm developed by F.J. Pritchard at CSU. Progeny selection continued within these inbred lines, resulting in 1937 in the release of US217. A series of varieties were developed (US200 X 215, US200 X 216, US216 X 226) and they were widely used in areas prone to leaf spot. Another source of LSR was from crosses with wild sea beet made by O. Munerati in Italy. This material was in Great Western varieties GW304 and GW359 (Cessna source). ARS scientists used Messano 71 to develop US201, the new standard for LSR. The ARS program at Fort Collins has relied heavily on these early releases. Three groups of LSR germplasm were released out of this program, FC900s (multigerm pollinators), FC500s (O-types with CMS equivalents), and FC600s (combined LSR-curly top-resistant O-types with CMS equivalents). Commercial companies have used these sources and European sources to develop the leaf spot resistant hybrids available today.