Release of Cornell 601–606: Common Bean Breeding Lines with Resistance to White Mold

Abstract

The New York State Agricultural Experiment Station announces the release of six dry bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) breeding lines with resistance to white mold [Sclerotinia sclerotiorum (Lib.) de Bary]. These breeding lines, Cornell 601 (pink kidney), Cornell 602 (white kidney), Cornell 603 (dark red kidney), Cornell 604 (black bean), Cornell 605 (light red kidney), and Cornell 606 (black kidney), represent germplasm with high levels of resistance to white mold developed through greenhouse selection and evaluation in multistate greenhouse and field comparisons through the w-1150 regional project. White mold is a serious disease of common bean worldwide reducing both yield and quality (Kerr et al., 1978). Host plant resistance can be conferred through both plant architecture and physiological resistance (Kolkman and Kelly, 2003). White mold resistance can be selected through a technique known as the ‘‘straw test,’’ which shows a very high correlation with field resistance (Petzoldt and Dickson, 1996). This test was used to develop the six breeding lines by modification of the straw test to inoculate two plant petioles (Griffiths et al., 2004).