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ARS Home » Midwest Area » Urbana, Illinois » Soybean/maize Germplasm, Pathology, and Genetics Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #156495
Title: USE OF AEROPONIC CHAMBERS AND GRAFTING TO STUDY PARTIAL RESISTANCE TO FUSARIUM SOLANI F. SP. GLYCINES IN SOYBEAN

Author
item MUELLER, D - UNIV OF ILLINOIS
item LI, SUSAN - UNIV OF ILLINOIS
item Hartman, Glen
item PEDERSEN, WAYNE - UNIV OF ILLINOIS

Submitted to: Plant Disease
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 2/15/2002
Publication Date: 6/15/2002
Citation: MUELLER, D.S., LI, S., HARTMAN, G.L. PEDERSEN, W.L. 2002. Use of aeroponic chambers and grafting to study partial resistance to fusarium solani f. sp. glycines in soybean. Plant Dis. 86:1223-1226

Interpretive Summary: Sudden death syndrome is one of the most serious diseases of soybean in the U.S. The disease is caused by a fungus (Fusarium solani f. sp. glycines) that lives in the soil and infects the roots of plants. In addition to root rotting symptoms, the fungus also causes foliar symptoms based on the translocation of a toxin(s) from the infected roots to the leaves. In this study, specialized chambers that allowed for visual examination of roots were used to study the fungus and plants that were grafted with different shoot and root combinations of susceptible and resistant soybean lines. Results indicated that resistance, based on foliar symptom analysis, was conditioned by both the shoot and the rootstock. Little or no resistance was found to the root rot phase of the disease. This informaiton may help identify new sources of resistance to F. solani f. sp. glycines with root- or whole-plant resistance that would benefit the soybean breeders and soybean growers in the U.S.

Technical Abstract: Several plant introductions (PIs) and cultivars have been classified as partially resistant (PR) to sudden death syndrome. However, little is known about the nature of resistance to this disease. Seedlings of two PR PIs and two susceptible cultivars were inoculated with Fusarium solani f. sp. glycines in aeroponic chambers. Plants were inoculated by taping two sorghum seeds infested with F. solani f. sp. glycines to the main root. Foliar symptoms of the susceptible cultivars were higher than those on the PR PIs and were associated with lower root and plant dry weight. Root lesion lengths of the four soybean lines differed (P < 0.05), but did not correlate with foliar disease or any other variable. To better understand the resistance mechanism by distinguishing between root and plant resistance, three partially resistant PIs (PI 520.733, PI 567.374, and PI 567.650B) and one susceptible soybean cultivar (GL3302) were compared using different grafting combinations in aeroponic chambers. Results of sudden death syndrome evaluation indicated that resistance is conditioned by both the scion and the rootstock. All three PIs evaluated had resistance associated with the scion; resistance in PI 567.650B also was associated with the rootstock. Although the PR PIs used appear to have little or no root resistance, an aeroponic system and grafting may help identify new sources of resistance to F. solani f. sp. glycines with root- or whole-plant resistance.