Location: Crop Improvement and Protection Research
Project Number: 2038-22000-019-038-R
Project Type: Reimbursable Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Feb 1, 2023
End Date: Jan 31, 2024
Objective:
Objectives: To address the California Strawberry Commission research priorities for: 1 – Farming without fumigants, and 2 – Management of soilborne diseases by:
1. Developing diagnostics tools for Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae race genotyping.
2. Conducting surveillance for Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae race 2 in California strawberry fields.
3. Assessing the durability of the FW1 gene and its presence in resistant varieties from private breeding programs.
Approach:
Diagnostics race genotyping method development:
a. Develop a DNA-based method for rapid differentiation of race 1 and race 2 of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae.
b. Validate the of race-specificity assay for accuracy and specificity.
Surveillance for Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae race 2 in California strawberry fields.
a. Conduct race genotyping on all Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae samples from resistant cultivars that are submitted to the diagnostics facility at California Polytechnic University.
b. Survey for fields where resistant cultivars are being grown and wilt symptoms are observed.
c. Communicate the necessity of surveillance for Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae race 2 to growers, pest control advisors, and consultants.
Assess the durability of the FW1 gene and its presence in resistant varieties from private breeding programs.
a. Phenotype the resistant germplasm and cultivars of private breeding programs for resistance to race 2 isolates of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae.
b. Test the durability of FW1 resistance under abiotic stress (heat & drought) in growth chamber (can be several seasons in the field).
c. Experimentally evaluate the durability of FW1 resistance through several cycles of inoculation with a Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. fragariae race 1 isolate and reisolation from tissues of the resistant variety.
