Stability Analysis of Incidence of Tomato Spotted Wilt in Virginia-Type Peanut Cultivars and Breeding Lines

Abstract

ABSTRACT Tomato spotted wilt (TSW) caused by Tomato spotted wilt tospovirus (TSWV) has become a serious constraint to peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.) production in the Virginia-Carolina production area. Regression stability analysis was applied to TSW incidence data collected in 64 trials conducted over 17 years to determine if an array of 31 virginia-type cultivars and breeding lines exhibited variation in their reactions to increasing levels of general TSW intensity compared with the standard field-resistant cultivar Georgia Green and hirsuta-type line PI 576636. Eight cultivars (NC 7, NC 9, NC 10C, NC-V 11, NC 12C, Perry, Phillips, and Brantley) had mean effects greater than zero (P<0.01) while Bailey, four Bailey siblings, and N96076L, Bailey's resistant parent, all had mean effects less than zero (P<0.01). The deviations of the slope of regression on environmental index (β̂k) for four of the eight susceptible cultivars were greater than zero, indicating greater than average reaction to increased levels of TSW. The β̂k for Bailey indicated that its response to increasing levels of TSW was flat. PI 576636 was confirmed as a highly field-resistant line. The slopes of Georgia Green, the standard TSWV-resistant runner-type cultivar, the Bailey siblings and N96076L did not differ from the average of all lines. The correlation between mean effect and β̂k was r = 0.693, indicating that approximately half the variation in β̂k could be explained by mean effects. However, the regression analysis provided information useful in describing the TSW reactions of the lines and cultivars.