STUDIES OF THE RESISTANCE TO FUSARIUM WILT IN CARNATION INTERSPECIFIC HYBRIDS

Resistance of carnation to Fusarium wilt (Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. dianthi) is of major importance for breeding new cultivars.
New germplasm and combination between ornamental traits and high resistance to Fusaruim wilt is a main achievement in the selection of this crop.
The investigation of the response of parental forms and new selected hybrid material is a main step in breeding programs.
Interspecific hybridization of carnation allows increasing the diversity in germplasm.
Five spray carnation cultivars and two breeding lines of D. caryophyllus f. spray Hort. (Krassina, Regina, Fea, Naslada, Barbara, L-169 and L-230) used as a mother plant and seven Dianthus species used as a father plant (D. carthusianorum, D. gratianopolitanus, D. sequieri, D. knappii, D. silvestris, D. plumarius and D. chinensis) were evaluated for their resistance to Fusarium wilt after artificial inoculation with the causal pathogen of the disease.
The resistance of wild Dianthus species is much lower compared to this of spray carnation cultivars.
Hybridisation was performed after castration and compulsory, forced pollination with pollen collected from different species under isolation.
All tested breeding lines showed a very high level of resistance to F. oxysporum f. sp. dianthi. The level of resistance in F₁ and BC₁ is variable.
Clones of individual plants in some crosses showed a very high level of resistance, reaching complete resistance.
Interspecific hybridization gives an opportunity to select plant forms combining variable ornamental traits with high level of resistance to Fusarium wilt.

XX International Eucarpia Symposium, Section Ornamentals, Strategies for New Ornamentals – Part I

S. Slavov, R. Batchvarova, B. Atanassova, N. Zaprjanova

Dianthus spp., Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. dianthi, interspecific hybridisation

https://doi.org/10.17660/ActaHortic.2001.552.11