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Title: Sclerotinia blight resistance in the US peanut mini-core collection

Author
item Bennett, Rebecca
item Chamberlin, Kelly
item DAMICONE, JOHN - Oklahoma State University

Submitted to: Crop Science
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/24/2018
Publication Date: 5/3/2018
Citation: Bennett, R.S., Chamberlin, K.D., Damicone, J.P. 2018. Sclerotinia blight resistance in the US peanut mini-core collection. Crop Science. 58(3):1306-1317. https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2017.09.0591.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.2135/cropsci2017.09.0591

Interpretive Summary: Plant germplasm collections are valuable sources of desirable traits such as disease resistance, but many accessions have yet to be characterized. Seventy-one accessions of the U.S. peanut mini-core were evaluated from 2013 to 2015 for yield, seed quality characteristics, Sclerotinia blight resistance in the field, and for a genetic marker associated with Sclerotinia resistance. Twenty-one accessions with less than 10%, and seven accessions with less than 5% disease incidence, were identified from two years most favorable for disease. Resistant accessions were also more likely to possess the genetic marker for Sclerotinia blight resistance. One resistant mini-core accession, CC650 (PI 478819), was similar to commercial cultivars in yield (3617 kgha-1 over three years). CC650 also had the highest seed grade among entries at 73%, large kernels (73 g per 100 seeds), and a large proportion of extra large kernels. In laboratory tests, CC650 was similar to the resistant cultivar Georgia 03L when inoculated with the pathogen causing Sclerotinia blight. The 21 resistant germplasm accessions identified may be useful to peanut breeders seeking additional sources of resistance to Sclerotinia blight.

Technical Abstract: Germplasm collections are valuable sources of desirable traits such as disease resistance, but many accessions have yet to be characterized. Seventy-one accessions of the U.S. peanut mini-core were evaluated from 2013 to 2015 for yield, seed quality characteristics, Sclerotinia blight resistance in the field, and for a Sclerotinia resistance marker. Twenty-one accessions with less than 10%, and seven accessions with less than 5% disease incidence, were identified from two years most favorable for disease. Resistant accessions were more likely to have a SSR marker for Sclerotinia blight resistance, and a negative correlation between disease incidence and the presence of the resistance marker was observed. One resistant mini-core accession, CC650 (PI 478819), was similar to commercial cultivars in yield (3617 kgha-1 over three years). CC650 also had the highest seed grade among entries at 73%, large kernels (73 g per 100 seeds), and a large proportion of extra-large kernels. In growth chamber inoculation tests, CC650 was similar to the resistant cultivar Georgia 03L. These results may be useful to peanut breeders seeking additional sources of resistance to Sclerotinia minor.