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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Urbana, Illinois » Soybean/maize Germplasm, Pathology, and Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #156220
Title: EVALUATION OF SOYBEAN, DRY BEAN, AND SUNFLOWER FOR RESISTANCE TO SCLEROTINIA SCLEROTIORUM

Author
item VUONG, T - UNIV OF ILLINOIS
item DIERS, BRIAN - UNIV OF ILLINOIS
item HOFFMAN, D - UNIV OF ILLINOIS
item Miller, Jerry
item STEADMAN, J - UNIV OF NEBRASKA
item Hartman, Glen

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 10/6/2003
Publication Date: 6/11/2004
Citation: Vuong, T.D., Hoffman, D.D., Diers, B.W., Miller, J.F., Steadman, J.R., Hartman, G.L. 2004. Evaluation of soybean, dry bean, and sunflower for resistance to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. Crop Science. 44:777-783.

Interpretive Summary: Many inoculation methods have been used to evaluate resistance of different crops to the fungal pathogen, Sclerotinia sclerotiorum. A single greenhouse inoculation method has not been used across crops and compared to field evaluations. This study compared disease evaluations of soybean, dry bean, and sunflower inoculated in the greenhouse (cut stem inoculation method) to field evaluations. Within each crop there was a correlation between disease assessments from the cut stem inoculation method and field evaluations. In summary, the cut stem inoculation method has the potential for use in evaluating soybean, dry bean, and sunflower for resistance to S. sclerotiorum. This information is useful to pathologists and breeders that work on disease resistance.

Technical Abstract: Many inoculation methods have been used to evaluate resistance of different crops to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary. Only a few of these methods have been used to evaluate more than one crop. This study compared disease evaluations of soybean [Glycine max (L.) Merr.], dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), and sunflower (Helianthus annuus L.) inoculated in the greenhouse (cut stem inoculation method) to field evaluations. In one experiment, stems of two soybean cultivars, 'Williams 82' (susceptible) and 'NKS19-90' (partially resistant), were severed and inoculated with a colonized mycelial plug of S. sclerotiorum placed on top of the plant at the cut point of the stem. Stem lesion lengths on these two cultivars were used to determine what affect plant age and post-infection temperature had on disease development. There was a significant (P<0.05) difference in lesion lengths between inoculated 5 wk old plants compared to 6 or 7 wk old plants within each cultivar. At different post-infection temperatures, lesions developed at 25oC but not at 30oC. In another experiment, disease rating of 15 soybean cultivars evaluated in the greenhouse and field had significant (P<0.05) correlation coefficients from 0.53 to 0.79. In addition to soybean, two experiments were completed on dry bean and sunflower. There were significant (P<0.05) differences in lesion lengths among 14 genotypes of each, dry bean and sunflower. The correlation between greenhouse and field evaluations of dry bean and sunflower were 0.74 and 0.50 (P<0.05), respectively. In summary, disease assessments from the cut stem inoculation compared favorably to disease assessments in the field for soybean, dry bean, and sunflower.