Relative susceptibilities of eleven potato cultivars and breeders' clones toGlobodera pallida pathotype Pa 3, with a discussion of the interpretation of data from pot experiments

Curves according to the equationPf=M (1-e ^–aPi/M ) fitted well to the relations according to Seinhorst's (1993) modelPf=y _e y _h M(1-e ^–aPi/M ) between initial egg densities of potato cyst nematodes (Globodera rostochiensis, G. pallida)Pi up to 5T _h (T _h =the tolerance limit of haulm weight) andPf at the end of the growing season (a=maximum rate of reproduction,M, M=different theoretical maximum egg densities). Variation of estimates ofM, due to variation of the parameters of the submodelsy _e andy _h for the effect of weight reduction of haulms (and, therefore, of roots) on cyst production and damage to root tissue on egg production, respectively, was small enough to be ignored relative to experimental error. Therefore, ratios of values ofM, determined in simultaneous pot experiments with different potato cultivars, are reliable measures of the relative host status of these cultivars at initial egg densitiesPi of these nematodes up to about 5T _h . Variation between potato cultivars of growth reduction and damage to root tissue by the nematodes reduces the reliability of ratios of rates of relative susceptibility of these cultivars.The ratios between the maximum rates of reproduction ofG. pallida, pathotype Pa 3, on 8 out of 9 cultivars and one breeder's clone of potatoes and this rate on the susceptible cvs Bintje and Irene (relative susceptibilitiesrs _a ) could be considered to be equal to the ratios of maximum population densitiesM on these cultivars (relative susceptibilitiesrs _M ) (relative susceptibilities independent of initial egg density). The latter ratios were 0.59 times the first (relative susceptibilities negatively correlated with initial egg density) in one cultivar and one breeder's clone. Relative susceptibilitiesrs _a andrs _M of the tested cultivars and breeders clones suggest the existence of continuous ranges of both relative susceptibilities between 0.50 and 0.15 with, in a great majority of cases,rs _a =rs _M .