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Submitted to: Plant Disease Management Reports
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 1/2/2018 Publication Date: 3/12/2018 Citation: Strausbaugh, C.A., Hellier, B.C. 2018. Beet curly top resistance in USDA-ARS plant introduction lines, 2017. Plant Disease Management Reports. 12:CF001. Interpretive Summary: Curly top in the semiarid sugar beet production areas of the United States is caused by Beet curly top virus and vectored by the beet leafhopper. Resistant sugar beet cultivars became available in the 1930s prior to which curly top almost eliminated the sugar beet industry in the western United States. However, resistance is typically low to intermediate in commercial sugar beet cultivars and has a tendency to be associated with lower yield potential. Thus, novel sources of resistance need to be identified and incorporated into commercial cultivars. Thirty sugar beet USDA-ARS Plant Introduction (PI) lines were screened for resistance to curly top. Three of the lines performed very well and will be investigated further for incorporation into germplasm lines so they can be utilized to improve BCTV resistance in commercial sugar beet cultivars. Technical Abstract: Curly top caused by Beet curly top virus (BCTV) is a widespread disease problem vectored by the beet leafhopper in semiarid sugar beet production areas. Host resistance is the primary defense against this problem, but resistance in commercial cultivars is only low to intermediate. In order to identify novel sources of curly top resistance, 30 sugar beet USDA-ARS Plant Introduction (PI) lines were screened in a disease nursery in 2017. The lines were arranged in a randomized complete block design with four replications. A curly top epiphytotic was created by releasing six viruliferous beet leafhoppers per plant at the four- to six-leaf growth stage on 14 June. Foliar symptoms were evaluated on 6 July using a scale of 0-9 (0 = healthy and 9 = dead) in a continuous manner. Curly top symptom development was uniform and no other disease problems were evident in the plot area. The disease pressure in the test was moderately severe with good symptom development in the susceptible checks. Based on the visual rating, three entries (2, 7, and 15) performed the same as the resistant check. These germplasm lines will be will be investigated further for incorporation into germplasm lines so they can be utilized to improve BCTV resistance in commercial sugar beet cultivars. |
