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ARS Home » Plains Area » Fort Collins, Colorado » Center for Agricultural Resources Research » Soil Management and Sugarbeet Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #315652
Title: Development of a field inoculation method to screen for sugar beet seedling resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. beta

Author
item Panella, Leonard
item Vagher, Travis
item FENWICK, ANN - Beet Sugar Development Foundation
item Hanson, Linda

Submitted to: Meeting Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 4/22/2015
Publication Date: 7/15/2015
Publication URL: http://assbt-proceedings.org/ASSBT2015Proceedings/Section%20B&E/Panella,%20L%20%20poster.pdf
Citation: Panella, L.W., Vagher, T.O., Fenwick, A., Hanson, L.E. 2015. Development of a field inoculation method to screen for sugar beet seedling resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. beta. Proceedings of the 38th Meeting of ASSBT, Clearwater, FL. Anaheim, CA. February 23 – 27, 2015.

Interpretive Summary: Fusarium yellows is an important disease in many sugar beet production areas throughout the U.S. and yield losses can be devastating. Also seedling damping off caused by Fusarium can result in serious damage to the sugar beet stand establishment. This can lead to a severe loss in yield. The objective of this research has been to develop the methodology for field screening of sugar beet for Fusarium resistance at the seedling stage. Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. betae isolate, FOB220a (highly virulent), was used to prepare infested barley inoculum. Sterile barley inoculated with a liquid Fusarium culture was incubated at room temperature until all barley grains were fully colonized. Ground, dried inoculum, added to the seed packets, was used to inoculate field experiments. Sterile barley was used as a control. The nursery consisted of one-row plots (75 cm spacing, 4.9 m long), at the ARS Research Farm, in Fort Collins, CO. Trials were planted in 2008 through 2013. Crusting after heavy rains impeded germination in 2009, 2011, and 2012 and there were no data from those years. Four public germplasms, which varied in their resistance to FOB220a were tested – FC708, FC716, FC709-2, and FC702-2. Seedling stands were counted every 7-10 days for six weeks post emergence. There were significant differences between the lines in the inoculated and control plots when averaged over years. In all years no significant difference between the inoculated and control plots at the first count was observed. Therefore, no pre-emergence death was detected in the inoculated plots. All of the inoculated lines lost seedlings over time and there were significant differences between the highest and lowest (last) counts in the inoculated plots.

Technical Abstract: Fusarium yellows is an important disease in many sugar beet production areas throughout the U.S. and yield losses can be devastating. Also seedling damping off caused by Fusarium can result in serious damage to the sugar beet stand establishment. This can lead to a severe loss in yield. The objective of this research has been to develop the methodology for field screening of sugar beet for Fusarium resistance at the seedling stage. Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. betae isolate, FOB220a (highly virulent), was used to prepare infested barley inoculum. Sterile barley inoculated with a liquid Fusarium culture was incubated at room temperature until all barley grains were fully colonized. Ground, dried inoculum, added to the seed packets, was used to inoculate field experiments. Sterile barley was used as a control. The nursery consisted of one-row plots (75 cm spacing, 4.9 m long), at the ARS Research Farm, in Fort Collins, CO. Trials were planted in 2008 through 2013. Crusting after heavy rains impeded germination in 2009, 2011, and 2012 and there were no data from those years. Four public germplasms, which varied in their resistance to FOB220a were tested – FC708, FC716, FC709-2, and FC702-2. Seedling stands were counted every 7-10 days for six weeks post emergence. There were significant differences between the lines in the inoculated and control plots when averaged over years. In all years no significant difference between the inoculated and control plots at the first count was observed. Therefore, no pre-emergence death was detected in the inoculated plots. All of the inoculated lines lost seedlings over time and there were significant differences between the highest and lowest (last) counts in the inoculated plots.