Author:

Keywords:

Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Plant Sciences, Horticulture, Agriculture, Botrytis cinerea, Malus domestica, screening method, breeding, VITAMIN-C, INFECTION, HARVEST, 0607 Plant Biology, 0706 Horticultural Production, Plant Biology & Botany, 3008 Horticultural production, 3108 Plant biology

Abstract:

The aim of this study was to determine the potential for breeding for resistance to post harvest pathogens in apple. "Grey mould" caused by the nectrotrophic fungus Botrytis cinerea and "bitter rot" caused by Gloeosporium spp. are major post-harvest phytopathogens in apple production in Belgium. in this work, we screened over 30 commercial apple cultivars and selections of the breeding program of Better3fruit for resistance to B. cinerea and Gloeosporium under controlled conditions. Infections with B. cinerea were carried out by making wounds on opposite sides of 30 individual fruits per cultivar, and inoculating these wounds with a solution of spores. The inoculation of G. fructigenum was done by immersing intact fruits in a solution of spores. The development of disease symptoms was then evaluated 3 and 6 weeks after the infection with B. cinerea and 12 weeks after infection with G. fructigenum. The susceptibility of the apple cultivars and selections for the necrotrophic fungus decreased as the harvest date of the cultivar increased, and was also weakly related to vitamin C content. This was not the case for the apples infected with G. fructigenum. This study was further extended by screening 15 individuals of a progeny of 'Discovery' (early harvest date) and 'Braeburn' (late harvest date). We again observed a correlation between a cultivar harvest date and susceptibility to Botrytis infection. in addition two resistant selections with an early harvest date could be selected.