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Assessment of inoculation methods to identify resistance to Fusarium crown rot in wheat

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Abstract

Crown rot, caused by Fusarium culmorum and Fusarium pseudograminearum, is one of the most pervasive diseases of wheat throughout the world. Fusarium culmorum is the most prevalent causal agent in Turkey while F. pseudograminearum is the most predominant in the USA. Consistent and reliable screening methods are required to accelerate the identification and development of wheat cultivars for resistance to Fusarium crown rot in breeding programs. A multifactor experiment with seven replicates was established investigating three different inoculation techniques (seedling dip, stem base droplet and colonized grain) using two pathogenic isolates of F. culmorum in Turkey and Fusarium pseudograminearum in the USA, respectively, against known moderately resistant and susceptible wheat cultivars under controlled greenhouse conditions. Plants were harvested and evaluated for crown rot severity using a 0–10 rating scale. Results indicated that disease severity was greater in seedling dip, compared to colonized grain, and stem base inoculation (in decreasing order of severity), respectively. However, the colonized grain method produced an adequate level of severity and consistent cultivar ranking in both experiments. Results showed significant cultivar × inoculation method interactions, and the two species of Fusarium were considered to be virulent.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the Transitional Zone Agriculture Research Institute of Eskisehir, Turkey, which provided technical support. Support was also provided by the CIMMYT (International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center) for travel exchanges of the first and second authors through the United States Agency for International Development (US-AID) collaboration, as part of the global initiative “Integrated Management of Soil-Borne Pathogens and Pests for Resource-Poor Farmers of Rainfed Wheat.” In the USA, the authors would like to thank the Washington Grain Commission and the Plant Growth Facility at Washington State University for providing funding and technical support.

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Correspondence to Gul Erginbas-Orakci.

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Erginbas-Orakci, G., Poole, G., Nicol, J.M. et al. Assessment of inoculation methods to identify resistance to Fusarium crown rot in wheat. J Plant Dis Prot 123, 19–27 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41348-016-0001-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s41348-016-0001-8

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