Summary
Severity of powdery mildew was assessed on seven cultivars and lines of Kentucky bluegrass propagated by seed and tissue culture. Tissue culture plants were started from embryo axes cultured on Murashige and Skoog medium containing different concentrations of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 6-benzylaminopurine (BAP), and incubated (1 to 4 weeks) or not incubated in the dark prior to transfer to a lighted culture room. There were significant differences in disease severity (DS) among seed propagated and tissue culture regenerated plants. DS ranged from highly susceptible (100% of leaf covered by mildew) (DS=9) to resistant (DS=3.0). In some tissue culture regenerants the disease severity was significantly affected by the tissue culture process. Ten clones expressing resistance were selected, and plants propagated vegetatively. In six clones, disease resistance was sustainable in subsequent vegetatively propagated plants, while resistance was lost in four of the selected clones. Results are discussed with a view to using tissue culture to produce Kentucky bluegrass genotypes with resistance to powedery mildew.
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Abbreviations
- BAP:
-
benylaminopurine
- 2,4-D:
-
2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid
- DS:
-
disease severity
- MS:
-
Murashige & Skoog
- SDW:
-
sterile distilled water
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Msikita, W., Wilkinson, H.T. Powdery mildew resistance in Kentucky bluegrass genotypes regenerated from excised seed pieces. Euphytica 78, 199–205 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00027518
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00027518