Nondestructive assessment of Rotylenchulus reniformis resistance in Gossypium spp.

Authors: Stetina, Salliana - Sally; Erpelding, John

Submitted to: Journal of Nematology
Publication Type: Abstract Only
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/10/2023
Publication Date: N/A
Citation: N/A

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: Nondestructive sampling to phenotype cotton (Gossypium spp.) plants for resistance to reniform nematode (Rotylenchulus reniformis) in early breeding generations would be highly useful for introgression of nematode resistance from exotic germplasm resources. Based on the number of females infecting the roots, a nondestructive method was successfully developed to assess host plant resistance to the reniform nematode. In the first set of experiments, the root system was removed at either 0, 1, 2.5, or 5 cm below the soil line. The number of females infecting the removed portion of the root system was counted, and it was determined that resistant lines could be identified while leaving up to 5 cm of roots with the shoot. In the next set of experiments, the rate of plant recovery and reproductive development was evaluated using a combination of shoot retention (all leaves, no leaves, leaves at bottom two nodes, or leaves at top two nodes) and root retention (all root, 2.5 cm, 1 cm, or 0 cm root) treatments. The treatment combination in which 2.5 cm roots and the top leaves were kept was the one in which plants recovered the quickest, and which performed comparably to the treatment in which neither roots nor shoots were modified. Even after modification to shoots and roots, all plants were able to produce flowers, fruits, and seeds of the next generation. This screening method can be used by plant breeders to identify resistant lines in early generations while still allowing the plant to produce seeds of the next generation.