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ARS Home » Southeast Area » Poplarville, Mississippi » Southern Horticultural Research Unit » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #313334
Title: Screening for anthracnose disease resistance in strawberry using a detached leaf assay

Author
item Miller Butler, Melinda
item CURRY, K - University Of Southern Mississippi
item KREISER, B - University Of Southern Mississippi
item Smith, Barbara
item BLYTHE, E - Mississippi State University

Submitted to: North American Strawberry Conference Abstracts
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 1/20/2015
Publication Date: 1/29/2015
Citation: Miller Butler, M.A., Curry, K.J., Kreiser, B.R., Smith, B.J., Blythe, E.K. 2015. Screening for anthracnose disease resistance in strawberry using a detached leaf assay. North American Strawberry Conference Abstracts. p. 19.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Inoculation of detached strawberry leaves with Colletotrichum species may provide a rapid, non-destructive method of identifying anthracnose resistant germplasm. The reliability and validity of assessing disease severity is critical to disease management decisions. We inoculated detached strawberry leaves with Colletotrichum fragariae and C. gloeosporioides from named cultivars (n = 10) and C. fragaria resistant clones (n = 10). We then determined anthracnose disease severity with a quantitative assessment made via computer based image analysis and visual assessments made by two independent raters. The image analysis provided a precise measurement of percent lesion area of infected leaves and we used this to establish a “gold standard” upon which to compare visual disease assessments. Visual assessments (n = 944) were compared to each other and the inter-rater reliability strength of agreement was good (Weighted Kappa = 0.82; 95% CI: 0.79-0.84). Detached leaf assays may provide a reliable method for resistance screening.