engleski

Improving the resistance of maize inbred lines to diseases

Fusarium graminearum and other fungi of the genus Fusarium are major causes of stalk and ear rot of maize in Croatia. Colletotrichum graminicola causing leaf blight and antracnose stalk rot is an increasingly spreading pathogen in narrow crop rotation and monoculture. Breeding for resistance is the most effective way of maize disease control. The purpose of this study was to assess how the program of improving line resistance to diseases was successful considering their combining ability for yield. The lines were tested under artificial inoculation in nurseries from 2007 to 2009. Testing combining ability was made in small scale trials in Rugvica in 2010. Eight hybrid combinations with new lines stood out with higher or significantly higher grain yield compared to the official standard. Newly developed inbred lines expressed improved degree of resistance to the diseases the breeding was focused to. Lines Bc 61014-3 and Bc 61473-14 were significantly more resistant to anthracnose stalk rot. Significantly lower percentage of rotted plants was found in lines Bc 62742-13, Bc 65741-26 and Bc 65073-3. Line Bc 63473-13 is a result of improved resistance to Gibberella ear rot. Resistance to targeted diseases was successfully improved by using methods of artificial inoculation in the breeding process. No negative effect on combining ability for yield was recorded.

maize; breeding; disease resistance

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