The principal aim of the study was to further the knowledge of the interaction between Alternaria linicola and the host plant linseed (Linum usitatissimum). A novel detached cotyledon in vitro bioassay was developed to allow the quantification of disease resistance of Linum material to A. linicola. Differences were apparent between the disease response scores of four linseed varieties when tested with seven isolates of the pathogen which differed in aggressiveness. However, there was no significant difference between the disease response scores of the varieties and no change in the ranking of varieties over three experiments. This indicated that the varieties behaved in a predictable manner to each isolate during each test. Accordingly, in a subsequent study, 102 Linum accessions were challenged with an aggressive and a non-aggressive isolate. About 75 % of the accessions gave a moderate response, although there was a continuous distribution of resistance from high susceptibility to resistant. Accessions at both extremes of the disease response consisted of breeding material, currently grown varieties and near relatives of the host species. For example, one of the more resistant accessions tested was Linum angustifolium. A sub-set of nine Linum accessions was chosen (a range of susceptible, moderately-resistant and resistant material) and the resistance response of the material to an aggressive and a non-aggressive A. linicola isolate was investigated using a whole seedling inoculation technique. A comparison of the response of the material during the seedling test with that of the detached in vitro assay indicated that the latter test systematically, but marginally, overestimated the disease response. The in vitro bioassay scores and the seedling test scores were positively correlated following inoculation with the more aggressive of the two isolates. It was suggested that the resistance response of material could be accurately predicted by the in vitro bioassay but that a certain level of isolate aggressiveness was necessary to differentiate between responses of the accessions. Since large isolate-line interactions with respect to resistance scores were not observed, the results implied that resistance was polygenically determined. These results indicate that the bioassay for disease resistance produces an accurate measure of resistance and provides plant breeders with a useful tool which can be utilised during breeding programs.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bl.uk/oai:ethos.bl.uk:309383 |
| Date | January 1996 |
| Creators | Evans, Neal |
| Publisher | University of Glasgow |
| Source Sets | Ethos UK |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic Thesis or Dissertation |
| Source | http://theses.gla.ac.uk/39033/ |
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