ISHS Acta Horticulturae 715: VIII International Symposium on Vaccinium Culture
SCREENING FOR RESISTANCE TO BOTRYOSPHAERIA STEM BLIGHT AND PHOMOPSIS TWIG BLIGHT IN BLUEBERRY |
| Author: | J.J. Polashock |
| Keywords: | Botryosphaeria dothidea, Phomopsis vaccinii, Vaccinium spp., stem diseases |
| Abstract:
Stem diseases of blueberry (Vaccinium spp.) can cause significant crop loss as well as loss of entire bushes. Stem diseases also tend to be more difficult to control with fungicides than foliar or fruit diseases. We have initiated a program to screen blueberry cultivars for resistance to two important stem diseases, Botryosphaeria stem blight and Phomopsis twig blight. An attached stem assay was used to screen for resistance/susceptibility to both pathogens. Resistance/susceptibility was measured by comparison of stem lesion lengths after inoculation. Final measurements were taken at 4 weeks (stem blight) and 6 weeks (twig blight). Whole potted plants representing 52 cultivars were used for the study. For Botryosphaeria stem blight, lesion length varied from about 10 mm in resistant cultivars to about 140 mm in susceptible cultivars. Phomopsis twig blight lesions ranged in length from about 18 mm to about 98 mm. Cultivars that were resistant to one pathogen were not necessarily resistant to the other. | |
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