Susceptibility of hairy root lines of Brassica species to Plasmodiophora brassicae and in an in vitro subculture system

Abstract

To investigate the susceptibility of hairy root lines of Brassica species to Plasmodiophora brassicae, hairy roots were induced in a number of Brassica species with Agrobacterium rhizogenes. Turnip hairy root was highly susceptible to P. brassicae; infection rates were high and large galls formed. In contrast, the rates of root hair infection and gall formation on intact Brassica plants did not differ significantly from the control. To induce resting spore formation, turnip hairy roots were incubated at 15°, 20°, or 25°C after 3 weeks of incubation at 25°C. The number and fresh mass of the galls per hairy root were higher and formation of resting spores was greatest after a 7-week incubation at 20°C. To subculture P. brassicae using turnip hairy root, turnip hairy roots were reinoculated with resting spores and gall with resting spores then formed on the hairy roots. In this way, P. brassicae using hairy roots could be subcultured in vitro two or three times on three single-spore isolates of P. brassicae. This is the first report of in vitro subculture of P. brassicae using hairy root.