Inheritance of resistance to stem canker (Phomopsis helianthi) in sunflower

Six male sterile sunflower lines were crossed with seven restorers in a factorial mating design. The 13 inbred lines and their 42 F1 hybrids were planted in a randomized block design with three replicates. Each replicate consisted of two rows, 5 m long (30–35 plants per replicate). Resistance to natural Phomopsis infection, presented as the percentage of plants with no encircling necrosis lesions of the fungus on the main stem, was determined at physiological maturity. Analysis of variance showed that female and male general combining abilities (GCA) and specific combining abilities (SCA) of F1 hybrids were significant. The ratio of additive variance to total variance was 0.662, a high value which indicates prevailing additive effects. The additive variance due to females was more important than that of males, probably because of the existence of maternal effects or more effective genes for resistance in the female lines used in this experiment. The estimates of GCA were significant and positive for LC1004A, KO549A, 50KD8 and LC1064C inbred lines. These lines should be considered in developing hybrids with improved resistance to Phomopsis in sunflower breeding programmes.