Blueberries resistant to soil-borne pathogens

04/03/2016

After an exhaustive study, researchers from Oregon (USA) have identified several varieties of blueberry that show resistance to Phytophthora cinnamomi, a soil-borne pathogen associated with root rot in many woody perennials.

According to the authors John Yeo, Jerry Weiland, Dan Sullivan and David Bryla, whose study appeared in the January issue of 2016 HortScience, the Phytophthora cinnamomi It is a ubiquitous pathogen in the production of blueberries. The infection by Phytophthora cinnamomi It is more common in plants treated with drip irrigation than by sprinklers, and is more common in heavy soils and places with poor drainage.

The authors have carried out two experiments: one with 10 commercially established blueberry varieties, and the other with seven newly released varieties, three commercially established varieties and three advanced selections. They have identified four commercially established varieties (Aurora, Legac, Liberty and Reka) and two new varieties (Overtime and Clockwork) as the most resistant to the Phytophthora cinnamomi. «When these genotypes were inoculated [with Phytophthora cinnamomi], the mean relative shoot biomass was equal to or greater than in 60% of the non-inoculated plants, while the relative root biomass was equal to or greater than in 40 %»explain the authors. «Despite differences between varieties during growth, shoot and root biomass of healthy uninoculated varieties did not correspond positively to disease resistance, indicating that more vigorous varieties ( that is, those with the highest biomass) were not necessarily the most resistant to the disease.

The results show that the biomass of the relative outbreak of the susceptible genotypes, on the other hand, varies from 11% to 26%. The susceptible genotypes are Bluetta, Bluecrop, Bluegold, Blue Ribbon, Cargo, Draper, Duke, Elliott, Last Call, Top Shelf and Ventura.

The authors conclude that genetic resistance is a "promising tool" to minimize the economic losses caused by root rot caused by the Phytophthora.

Source: Sciencenewsline.com