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36th
INTERNATIONAL
CARROT
CONFERENCE

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Intermediate Red

36th International Carrot Conference Abstract

Identifying New Sources of Alternaria Leaf Blight Resistance in Carrot

Pamela Moreno1 and Philipp Simon1, 2
1 Department of Horticulture, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1575 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
2 USDA-Agricultural Research Service, Vegetable Crops Unit, University of Wisconsin-Madison, 1575 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706, USA
Worldwide, wherever carrots are grown the insidious fungus Alternaria dauci (Kühn) Groves and Skolko can be found. A. dauci causes Alternaria leaf blight (ALB) and is a major problem for growers for two reasons. First, ALB is very prolific and can rapidly colonize foliage to form lesions that greatly reduce photosynthesis and consequently plant health. Second, and perhaps more importantly, the lesions can weaken or kill the petioles, which can significantly reduce the effectiveness of mechanical harvesting. Although it is difficult to tabulate the amount of yield loss by A. dauci each year, the damage can be as severe as 40% to 60%. To date, integrated pest management strategies stress pathogen free seeds, resistant varieties, crop rotation, scouting and fungicide applications. Even though there are several varieties with some resistance to ALB, higher levels of resistance have been observed in diverse Daucus germplasm. Thus, in this research we are evaluating germplasm from Asia, South America, and Europe to identify new sources of resistance based on exposure to ALB in field trials in Wisconsin over multiple years. In order to evaluate these diverse Daucus, weekly field observations during the growing season will provide the necessary data to identify new sources of resistance that eventually can be incorporated into commercial cultivars.

Last updated Friday, 02-Aug-2013 11:50:49 CDT