Performace of some Sesame (Sesamum indicum L.) Genotypes for Resistance to Wilt Disease Caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. Sesami

Abstract

Sesame is one of the important oil crops in Egypt. It can be infected by fungus Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. sesami which causing wilt disease. Among totally 6 isolates of Fusarium spp. isolated from diseased sesame plants, only isolates of F. oxysporum were found to be significantly pathogenic on sesame Giza-32 cultivar and showed the same ideal wilt symptoms. The objective of this investigation was aimed to; screened 86 sesame genotypes for wilt resistance during summer seasons of 2016 and 2017 under artificial infestation and field conditions with isolate FO2. In first season, a significant differences between genotypes under study in trait of disease infection %. Ten lines were resistance i.e. 71, 50, 44, 58, 28, 70, 79, 57, 24 and 80 which had a disease infection % with values of 13.77, 15, 15.29, 16.67, 17.59, 18.07, 18.33, 18.87, 19.12 and 20%, respectively. Forty eight lines had infection % varied from 20-40% considered as moderate resistance lines. In the second season, the resistance lines were 11 they were the same lines plus line number 49. Combined means over two seasons for wilt infection trait revealed that 12.5, 60, 16.25 and 18.75% from the total of 80 sesame lines were resistance, moderate resistance, moderate susceptible and susceptible, respectively. A significant and negative correlation was found between disease infection percent, number of days to 50% flowering and seed yield per plant was also negative and significant in both seasons. It could be recommended that, using the wilt resistance sesame lines in programs of new sesame cultivars or as a source for wilt resistance in sesame. The selection for lateness flowering genotypes in breeding programs for developing genotypes for Fusarium wilt resistance in sesame crop is very useful.