Resistance to Verticillium dahliae (Kleb.) in the strawberry breeding lines

Verticillium species are soil-borne fungi with worldwide distribution, causing vascular disease that results in severe yield and quality losses in fruit and nut crops, legumes, vegetables, forest trees, and woody and herbaceous ornamentals. Most crop diseases are caused by the two species Verticillium dahliae Klebahn and V. albo-atrum Reinke and Berthier, which differ in morphology, host range, and growth characteristics. The control of Verticillium spp. is especially difficult because they can survive in the soil as resting structures for several years. Cultivation of resistant plant material is the most effective method of the disease elimination. Resistance to Verticillium dahliae Kleb. was examined in the four strawberry breeding lines i.e.'Kent S1', 'Kent o.p.', 'Plena S1', 'Plena o.p'. The strawberry isolate of cv. 'Elsanta' no.1093 of Verticillium dahliae from Pathogen Gene Bank (Poland-Poznań) was used throughout this study. Seedlings of strawberry breeding lines were used for in vitro inoculation at stage of 4 leaves. Their roots were dipped for approximately 1 min in conidial suspensions (inoculum concentration--60 spores at 100x magnification in the microscopic field). Observations of disease symptoms were performed at 15, 30, 45, 60 and 75 days post inoculation. Extent of leaf chlorosis was rated on a scale of 0-4 in which: 0 no symptom. 1 up to 25% chlorotic leaves. 2 up to 50% chlorotic leaves. 3 up to 75% chlorotic leaves. 4 up to 100% chlorotic leaves. Plant response to in vitro inoculation of V. dahliae was different and depended on the breeding line. The most susceptible breeding line was 'Plena S1' and the most resistant was the line 'Kent o.p'. The line 'Kent S1' was more susceptible than the last one, but much more resistant than the line 'Plena o.p'. Seedlings without disease symptoms were observed in all examined lines at 15 and 30 days post inoculation At 45 days post inoculation no plant without disease symptoms was observed. Disease symptoms observed in all lines included increased level of leaf chlorosis. The obtained results suggested that relative tolerance (based on symptom severity) to Verticillium dahliae in the strawberry breeding lines was polygenic controlled by additive genes. On the other hand, the segregation ratio between resistant (R):tolerant (T):susceptible (S) plants in the breeding lines could suggest that the tolerance to V. dahliae in the strawberry was controlled by a single partially dominant gene.