Hydroponic System: A Novel, Rapid Greenhouse Inoculation Method for Wheat Crown Rot

Crown rot (CR), predominantly caused by Fusarium pseudograminearum (Fp), is a significant disease of wheat worldwide. However, existing CR inoculation methods and resistance assessment systems lack efficiency, consistency, and precision. Here, we developed a hydroponic inoculation method for wheat seedlings and an integrated CR resistance assessment system that combines disease index (DI) and in planta fungal biomass. The results show that hydroponic inoculation at 24°C with a conidial concentration of 5 × 10⁶ conidia/ml reduces the experimental duration from 21-45 to 18 days. For the integrated system, we refined CR symptom evaluation criteria for DI calculation and incorporated fungal biomass quantification (fungal DNA/wheat DNA), ensuring accuracy and reliability. Verification using five wheat varieties confirmed the system's precision. Sunco exhibited near resistance (DI = 25.71; biomass = 0.41), and Mingxian169 showed moderate resistance (DI = 39.84; biomass = 0.44), while Xiaoyan22, Fielder, and Xinong979 displayed high susceptibility (DI > 60, biomass > 0.63), consistent with previous studies. Our methods will facilitate large-scale germplasm screening and advance research on F. pseudograminearum-wheat interactions.