Articles
PROGRESS IN BREEDING FOR DISEASE RESISTANCE AND STRESS TOLERANCE IN CALADIUM, GERBERA, AND LISIANTHUS
Article number
766_52
Pages
399 – 404
Language
English
Abstract
Improving disease resistance and stress tolerance has become top priorities in ornamental plant breeding.
Destructive pathogens and extreme environmental stresses cause severe damage to plants, reduce flower production and quality, and contribute to economic losses.
Our breeding efforts in caladium, gerbera, and lisianthus have resulted in significant progress in a number of areas including identification of sources of resistance or tolerance, progeny screening, resistance evaluation, and release of new improved cultivars.
This report presents some of the advances made in these areas. 1. Disease resistance in caladium: Fusarium tuber rot and Pythium root rot are very destructive and economically important diseases in caladium.
Sources of host plant resistance to Pythium and Fusarium have been identified by artificial inoculation of root or tuber tissues.
Identified sources of resistance are being used in developing new cultivars with multiple disease resistance. 2. Powdery mildew has become the most destructive disease in gerbera in recent years.
Sources of resistance to this disease have been identified and resistance has been bred into new cultivars. 3. Fusarium crown and stem rot, caused by F. avenaceum, is one of the most damaging diseases of lisianthus.
Several commercial cultivars were found to have partial resistance, with <30% of plants developing disease symptoms 50 days after inoculation. 4. Caladium cultivars with cold tolerance have been identified or developed.
Improved cold tolerance may extend the growing season and geographical regions of caladium. 5. Heat tolerance in lisianthus: High temperatures during the seedling stage cause rosetting resulting in uneven and poor flowering.
Twenty-six F1 heat-tolerant cultivars in four series have been released.
Seedlings of these cultivars can be grown at 28 to 31°C without rosetting, making them highly desirable for production in warm climates.
Destructive pathogens and extreme environmental stresses cause severe damage to plants, reduce flower production and quality, and contribute to economic losses.
Our breeding efforts in caladium, gerbera, and lisianthus have resulted in significant progress in a number of areas including identification of sources of resistance or tolerance, progeny screening, resistance evaluation, and release of new improved cultivars.
This report presents some of the advances made in these areas. 1. Disease resistance in caladium: Fusarium tuber rot and Pythium root rot are very destructive and economically important diseases in caladium.
Sources of host plant resistance to Pythium and Fusarium have been identified by artificial inoculation of root or tuber tissues.
Identified sources of resistance are being used in developing new cultivars with multiple disease resistance. 2. Powdery mildew has become the most destructive disease in gerbera in recent years.
Sources of resistance to this disease have been identified and resistance has been bred into new cultivars. 3. Fusarium crown and stem rot, caused by F. avenaceum, is one of the most damaging diseases of lisianthus.
Several commercial cultivars were found to have partial resistance, with <30% of plants developing disease symptoms 50 days after inoculation. 4. Caladium cultivars with cold tolerance have been identified or developed.
Improved cold tolerance may extend the growing season and geographical regions of caladium. 5. Heat tolerance in lisianthus: High temperatures during the seedling stage cause rosetting resulting in uneven and poor flowering.
Twenty-six F1 heat-tolerant cultivars in four series have been released.
Seedlings of these cultivars can be grown at 28 to 31°C without rosetting, making them highly desirable for production in warm climates.
Publication
Authors
Z. Deng, B.K. Harbaugh
Keywords
Caladium ×hortulanum, Gerbera ×hybrida, Eustoma grandiflorum, Fusarium tuber rot, Pythium root rot, powdery mildew, cold tolerance, heat tolerance
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