Correlation between blast resistance in wheat cultivars and conidia sporulation rate of Pyricularia oryzae Triticum

Abstract

The use of resistant wheat cultivars is a fundamental strategy to minimize the damages caused by blast, a disease caused by the fungus Pyricularia oryzae Triticum (PoT). The objective of this study was to evaluate (a) the reaction to blast of Brazilian wheat cultivars and (b) to determine whether there is correlation between severity of symptoms on wheat spikes and “sporulation rate of PoT conidia per gram of wheat spike rachis” (Rscon). Plants of 16 wheat cultivars were grown in greenhouse until flowering (Zadoks stage 65), when their spikes were inoculated with a suspension formed by mixing the conidia of three PoT isolates. The evaluated variables were blast severity on spikes at 5, 7 and 11 days after inoculation (dai) and Rscon. Rachis were evaluated individually to determine the Rscon. Correlation analyzes were carried out between blast severity means on spikes of cultivars at 5, 7 and 11 dai and the log of Rscon. The cultivars ORS Feroz, ORS Destak, CD 116, ORS 1403, ORS 1401, TBIO Aton and TBIO Mestre stood out for being classified in the statistical groups with the highest resistance to blast for the four variables considered in the study. The correlation between blast severity on spikes at 5, 7 and 11 dai and Rscon was not significant.