2 research outputs found
Indigenous highly virulent accessions of the sunflower root parasitic weed Orobanche cumana
10 pages; 5 tables; 2 figuresOrobanche cumana (broomrape) is a severe constraint to
sunflower production in southern and eastern Europe
and the Middle East. Races A to E of this parasitic weed
controlled by genes Or1 to Or5 have been described. A
study of 38 seed accessions of O. cumana collected from
different locations in Spain between 1983 and 2003
investigated the effect of long-term storage in the
laboratory on germination and infectivity and assessed
their virulence on a number of sunflower cultivars. Only
18 infected the susceptible cultivar B117. Infectivity was
maintained for up to 17 years of storage, but with a
greatly decreased vigour as compared with that of
recently collected seed. The 12 oldest viable accessions overcame the resistance of the gene Or5 (in resistant line
NR5). Seven out of them, in particular those collected in
1988 and 1989, were identified as race F. Three accessions
were identified as race E allegedly holding components of
higher virulence. Our results show evidence of the
occurrence of race F prior to the use of sunflower hybrids
resistant to race E, suggesting the former as indigenous to
the country. This finding suggests the necessity of a
continuous breeding of sunflower for resistance to
O. cumana. The effectiveness and sustainability of genetic
resistance must rely on the knowledge of the diverse
virulence characteristics of O. cumana accessions.Ramón Areces Foundation (Madrid, Spain).
Pioneer Hi-Bred SL (Sevilla, Spain), PR64A71Peer reviewe