Early selection for partial resistance to powdery mildew, Podosphaera leucotricha (Ell. et Ev.) Salm, in apple progenies

Summary

Selection of apple for partial resistance to powdery mildew in the nursery before planting trees in the orchard can only be relied upon if genotypic differences in expression do not depend on plant age. Five progenies between susceptible cv. Melrose and five partially resistant genotypes (four CPRO-DLO selections from the cross‘Elstar × Prima’ and cv. Prima itself) were assessed for mildew resistance following natural infection in the nursery during two successive seasons. Per progeny 60 randomly taken trees were transplanted into the orchard and their mildew resistance levels were assessed for three more years. The mean mildew resistance of the progenies in the nursery was related to that of their resistant parent, but differences in mean resistance levels in the orchard were not consistent with those in the nursery. The individual correlations of resistance between nursery and orchard also varied per progeny. In general the second year’s assessment in the nursery gave the best prediction of the orchard performance over three years. In conclusion, nursery selection for partial mildew resistance can be effective, but the efficiency varies between populations.