Selection of first-year potato seedlings for resistance to potato leaf roll virus

Summary In families obtained from crossing pairs of parents with high resistance to potato leaf roll virus (PLRV), individual clones differ greatly in their level of resistance. Inoculation of first-year seedlings was effective in selecting more resistant families, but it was not so effective in selecting more resistant individual clones.     

An approach to field screening potato genotypes for potato leaf roll virus resistance

Eight potato cultivars and two advanced breeder selections were assessed for field resistance to the potato leaf roll virus (PLRV) following field exposures in which PLRV-infected Russet Burbank plants were used as inoculum sources within treatments. This screening protocol provided consistent PLRV resistance ratings despite year-to-year variation in PLRV pressure. Secondary disease incidence based on enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) of foliage from tuber progeny ranged from 0–87% in 1990 and 0–67% in 1991, and was consistent with reported PLRV resistance ratings for eight of ten genotypes. Agreement between visual assessment and ELISA on plants from harvested tubers was 94% in 1990 and 83% in 1991, for all genotypes. However, agreement data were inconsistent from year-to-year, with the exception of three genotypes. In both years, current season infection, based on ELISA of foliage, was detected in less than two percent of the plants and, was inadequate as a measure of secondary PLRV incidence. Green peach aphid (GPA) populations did not differ among genotypes at sampling times during the season, but the PLRV concentration in GPA colonizing Russet Burbank plots was significantly higher than in GPA colonizing any other genotype.     

Resistance to potato leaf roll virus inSolanum brevidens

Summary Plants ofSolanum brevidens graft-inoculated with potato leaf roll virus (PLRV) grew vigorously and had a normal healthy appearance. Although presence of the virus was confirmed in all inoculated plants by graft tests to potato and/orDatura stramonium, recovery of PLRV fromS. brevidens PI 218228 usingPhysalis floridana and the aphidMyzus persicae was erratic and only few test seedlings became infected. Ease of recovery of the virus using aphids was not influenced by presence of a continuous graft union with infected potato. Testing ofS. brevidens PI 245763 withM. persicae was not possible due to poor aphid survival on plants of this accession.     

A root inoculation technique to screen potato seedlings for resistance toPseudomonas solanacearum

A seedling inoculation technique for screening potato progenies for resistance toPseudomonas solanacearum was devised, and the effect of certain treatment variables on efficiency of the technique was determined. Concentration of inoculum and age of seedlings were critical factors; with very young seedlings (16 days old) or low concentration of inoculum (10⁵ cells/ml for isolate K-60) many seedlings escaped infection. With older seedlings (25 days old) and high concentrations of inoculum (10⁹ cells/ml), very few or none of the seedlings survived. Inocula containing mixtures of the most virulent isolates, such as S-207, S-213, and S-123, even at relatively low populations (ca. 10⁵ cells/ml), killed most of the susceptible seedlings. In the standard procedure, true seed was sown in rows 3.2 cm apart in 50 x 35 cm flats and seedlings were grown for 20 days in a growth room at 22 C and a 14-hr photoperiod. For inoculation, 5 liters of a cell suspension of two pathogenic isolates ofP. solanacearum (S-207 and S-213, or S-207 and S-123) were added to each flat, and roots were cut immediately with a knife run between and across the rows of seedlings. Inoculated seedlings were incubated in a growth room at 28 C for 2 weeks, and survivors then were moved to the greenhouse for propagation. Stem inoculation of 20 clones derived from plants that survived the standard procedures showed that 16 of them had clear-cut resistance to the bacterium. Tests with 39 hybrid families from crosses of resistant clones with susceptible Mexican and Colombian cultivars showed a relatively high survival rate in progeny from crosses involving three specific resistant parents.     

A comparison of some methods for detecting potato leaf roll virus in potato tubers in Israel

Summary The results obtained by four methods for detecting PLRV in potato tubers grown in Israel were compared with the results obtained by aphid transmission to test plants. The correlation coefficients for potatoes lifted in July (seed for autumn) and September (seed for spring) were: Igel-Lange test, 0.18 and 0.25; datura grafting with tuber sprouts, 0.71 and 0.63; aphid transmission from sprouts to test plants, 0.89 and 0.81; and visual assessment in the Florida test (for spring seed), Up-to-Date 0.58, Blanka 0.67 and Désirée 0.33. The Igel-Lange test proved unreliable; datura grafting is time consuming and PLRV symptoms were similar to reactions ofDatura stramonium to wounding and to stress. The results of the Florida test were somewhat variable and were obtained too late. The sprout test was deemed the most suitable as it is accurate and the results can be obtained within two months. Contribution No 156-E, 1979 series, Volcani Center.     

Incidence of potato virus Y and potato leaf roll virus in autumn potatoes in Israel

Summary Random sampling of autumn grown potatoes in Israel revealed potato virus Y incidences of 2.7, 2.5 and 3% during the years 1976, 1977 and 1978, respectively, figures only slightly higher than those found in spring-planted fields (2.3% in 1976), and which agree with visual estimates by the Inspection Service. Assaying random samples for potato leaf roll virus (PLRV) by aphid transmission to test plants, detected incidences as high as 38.8, 28.9, 36.7 and 33.3% during 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979, respectively, although only minor levels were visable, indicating symptom masking in the autumn. Most of the infection was found to be secondary; ca. 25% of the local seeds for autumn planting, grown during spring, are PLRV-infected. The effect of the high incidences of PLRV on autumn yields is not known, but they are consistently lower than spring yields of the same varieties. Contribution No 315-E, 1980 Series, The Volcani Center, Bet Dagan, Israel.     

Inheritance of extreme resistance to potato virus Y in potato

Summary Segregation for extreme resistance to PVY was evaluated in progenies derived from crossing two extremely resistant potato clones with parents differing in resistance. Resistance was evaluated after mechanical inoculation with PVY^O and PVY^N, and after graft inoculation with PVY^O. Biological and serological tests (ELISA) were used for virus detection. The extreme resistance is governed by a single dominant gene, but observed segregations deviated from the expected ratios. Considerable modifying effects were detectable, depending on the potato genotype and virus isolate, for a significant excess of susceptible genotypes was observed in some progenies. Moreover, genotypes with non-parental types of resistance to PVY were observed.