Evaluation of Resistance of Medium Maturing Potato Clones to Fusarium Dry Rot

Abstract

In the present study, resistance of 29 potato clones to fusarium dry rot disease was compared with some commercial cultivars and a susceptible check cultivar Lady Roseta. Tubers of the potato clones and cultivars were artificially inocutate with aggressive isolates of Fusarium sambucinum and F. solani and maintained in a growth chamber at 16°C and 95% relative humidity for four weeks. The experiment was in factorial with two factors of Fusarium species and potato clones, using three replications. Disease index, infected area of tubers and sprouting rate were recorded for each treatment after four weeks. Based on the results of experiment, potato clones 397009, 39709713, 39708-10, 397097-2, 397007-16, 397074-3 and cultivar Aria having the lowest disease index (ranging from 168.52 to 228.25) and lowest tuber infected area, were considered as resistant, while clones 396124-97 × 396151-15 and 396151-29 with highest disease index and tuber infected area were susceptible. Fusarium species had an invert effect on tuber sprouting so that susceptible potato clones and cultivars had the least tuber sprouting rate.