Abstract
Root rot caused by the soil-borne pathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi is one of the deadliest and most costly diseases in rhododendron culture. Unfortunately, the majority of cultivars appear to be susceptible to this fungus. Host resistance does occur, but it represents a tolerance of rather than immunity from the disease. A breeding program has been initiated to develop a broader array of root rot resistant cultivars and to determine the genetic basis for resistance. Greenhouse inoculations and screenings of 48 contemporary cultivars yielded seven clones with moderate to high levels of resistance to P. cinnamomi. Protocols for evaluation at the seedling stage were developed in order to screen large breeding populations of about 200 seedlings per cross. Root rot tolerance appears to have low-moderate heritability in these rhododendron populations. Groups of progeny with one resistant parent had a slower mortality rate and higher survivorship (avg. 10%) after 2 months of disease pressure than crosses in which both parents were susceptible (0 survivorship). A recurrent selection strategy is planned to increase the frequency of alleles for resistance in breeding populations of rhododendrons.
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