No abstract

Iris yellow spot is an economically important disease of onion that reduces bulb size and yield and is difficult to control. The disease is spread by Thrips tabaci (onion thrips) and disease symptoms are exacerbated by hot, dry climatic conditions that also favor rapid thrips multiplication and make control programs less effective. Currently, no onion cultivar is resistant to the disease and/or thrips. Certain onion foliar characteristics have shown nonpreferential feeding activity by thrips and may be the first step in developing Iris yellow spot (IYS)-tolerant onion cultivars. Seventy-five onion PI accessions from the U.S. germplasm collection were evaluated for leaf color, waxiness (bloom), and axil pattern; thrips number per plant; and IYS disease severity under conditions that favored thrips and disease buildup. Plants of PI 289689 were less attractive to thrips and had a lower number of thrips per plant than plants of most other accessions. These plants were rated as having light green to green-colored foliage and a relatively low amount of epicuticular leaf wax. Plants of PIs 239633 and 546192 generally exhibited less severe IYS disease symptoms than those of other accessions. Individual plants, that exhibited less leaf area exhibiting IYS disease symptoms, were selected at bulb maturity from 22 different accessions with PI 546140 producing the largest number of selected bulbs. Physiological plant development, environmental conditions, and tolerance to plant stress may influence the degree of disease symptom expression. Further work that examines the role of plant maturity and host plant tolerance to stress with respect to disease expression is needed.

Resistant varieties are not available, but a limited number of accessions with field tolerance have been identified. Integrated disease management tactics, including sanitation, crop rotation, thrips management, maintenance of optimal plant vigour, soil fertility, irrigation and physical separation of bulb and seed crops, can mitigate the effect of the disease. Virus code: 00.011.0.85.009 Useful link: http://www.alliumnet.com/.

The relationships between fruit yield and yield components in several cucumber (Cucumis sativus L.) populations were investigated as well as how those relationships changed with selection for improved fruit yield. In addition, the correlations between fruit yield and yield components were partitioned into partial regression coefficients (path coefficients and indirect effects). Eight genetically distinct pickling and slicing cucumber populations, differing in fruit yield and quality, were previously subjected to modified half-sib family recurrent selection. Eight families from three selection cycles (early, intermediate, late) of each population were evaluated for yield components and fruit number per plant in four replications in each of two testing methods, seasons, and years. Since no statistical test for comparing the magnitudes of two correlations was available, a correlation (r) of 0.7 to 1.0 or –0.7 to –1.0 (r2 ≥ 0.49) was considered strong, while a correlation of –0.69 to 0.69 was considered weak. The number of branches per plant had a direct positive effect on, and was correlated (r = 0.7) with the number of total fruit per plant over all populations, cycles, seasons, years, plant densities, and replications. The number of nodes per branch, the percentage of pistillate nodes, and the percentage of fruit set were less correlated (r < |0.7|) with total fruit number per plant (fruit yield) than the number of branches per plant. Weak correlations between yield components and fruit yield often resulted from weak correlations among yield components. The correlations among fruit number traits were generally strong and positive (r ≥ 0.7). Recurrent selection for improved fruit number per plant maintained weak path coefficients and correlations between yield components and total fruit number per plant. Selection also maintained weak correlations among yield components. However, the correlations and path coefficients of branch number per plant on the total fruit number became more positive (r = 0.67, 0.75, and 0.82 for early, intermediate, and late cycles, respectively) with selection. Future breeding should focus on selecting for the number of branches per plant to improve total fruit number per plant.

Fusarium basal rot (FBR), caused by Fusarium oxysporum Schlechtend.:Fr. f. sp. cepae (H.N. Hans.) W.C. Snyder & H.N. Hans, is a soilborne fungal disease that affects bulb onions (Allium cepa L.) worldwide. Short-day onion cultivars that are resistant to FBR are lacking. The goal of this project was to screen fall-sown onion germplasm for FBR resistance using a mature bulb field screening at harvest and after 4 weeks in storage. The project was conducted for 2 years, and in each year, 26 fall-sown onion lines were grown in a field known to produce a high incidence of fusarium-basal-rot-infected bulbs. When all the bulbs in a plot were mature, the basal plates of 20 bulbs were cut transversely and each plate was rated for disease severity on a scale of one (no diseased tissue) to nine (70% or more diseased). Bulbs were stored and rerated at 2 and 4 weeks after harvest. Disease severity and incidence were higher in the first year than in the second year. Both severity and incidence increased as bulbs were stored for 4 weeks. NMSU 00-25 exhibited the lowest disease severity and incidence in both years at harvest time and after storage. `Buffalo' and `Cardinal' exhibited the highest severities and incidences across both years and at harvest time and after storage. Other entries exhibited high or low disease severity and incidence but not consistently across years and between harvest time and after storage. In the development of FBR resistant cultivars, breeding lines should be evaluated over multiple years and bulbs should be stored for 4 weeks before being screened.

Iris yellow spot virus (IYSV) causes a foliar disease in onion (Allium cepa L.) that results in a reduction in bulb size. Currently, no IYSV-tolerant or -resistant cultivar exists and a genetic source for tolerance or resistance has not been identified. Because other disease control methods are limited, host plant resistance offers the best hope to combat this disease. In this study, 13 winter-sown onion entries were screened for iris yellow spot (IYS) symptoms during the 2007 and 2008 cropping seasons. Twenty plants from each plot were observed and rated weekly during the growing seasons for straw-colored, necrotic lesions, typical of IYSV infection. Collected plant samples were assayed for IYSV by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Visual rating was done using a scale of 1 to 9 with 1 representing no symptomatic tissue and 9 representing more than 50% tissue damage. Two different plant sampling methods were used in disease rating to determine their effect on mean severity and to correlate disease severity with absorbance values. Of the entries tested, plants of NMSU 05-33-1 exhibited a delay in symptom expression and lower IYSV levels relative to plants of other entries. Plants of ‘Denali’ and ‘Gelma’ appeared to be more susceptible to IYSV than plants of other entries. Plant selection within the plot over time did not influence disease rating values. When the same plants were rated and sampled for IYSV using ELISA, there was a strong, positive correlation between rating and absorbance values.

Iris yellow spot (IYS) disease, caused by Iris yellow spot virus (IYSV), results in irregular and diamond-shaped, chlorotic, and necrotic lesions on the leaves and seedstalks of onions (Allium cepa L.). These lesions reduce leaf photosynthetic area and ultimately reduce onion bulb size and yield from larger bulb classes. IYSV is vectored by onion thrips (Thrips tabaci L.) that are difficult to control under certain environmental conditions. Currently, no onion cultivar is resistant to the disease symptoms, virus, and/or thrips. Twenty-one cultivars and 17 germplasm lines were evaluated in the field for IYS disease severity and thrips densities at multiple times during the season as well as leaf color, waxiness, and axil openness of these entries. Plants were grown under conditions that favored thrips populations (high temperatures, low moisture, and no insecticidal spray applications), IYSV presence and distribution, and IYS development. Plants of New Mexico State University (NMSU) 07-10-1 had fewer thrips than several entries later in the season in both 2009 and 2010. Several entries exhibited a lower number of thrips per plant early or later in the season; however, these results were not consistent across years and were not associated with a particular foliage characteristic. Lighter leaf color and/or a lesser amount of epicuticular wax did not always result in the fewest number of thrips per plant as has been reported in the literature. Plants of NMSU 09-58 tended to exhibit fewer and less severe IYS symptoms early in the season as compared with plants of other entries.

Identification of resistant or tolerant onion (Allium cepa L.) cultivars is crucial for the development of integrated management strategies for Iris yellow spot virus (IYSV). Exclusively vectored by onion thrips (Thrips tabaci), IYSV is a potentially devastating tospovirus of onion that has been confirmed to be present in 15 countries all over the world. In this study, 18 winter-sown onion entries were screened for IYSV symptom expression over two seasons. Over the growing season, straw-colored, necrotic lesions typical of IYSV infection were observed and rated for disease severity. Entries, NMSU 03-52-1, NMSU 04-41, NMSU 04-44-1, and ‘NuMex Jose Fernandez’, exhibited fewer symptoms than many other entries tested. ‘Caballero’, NMSU 04-57-1, NMSU 04-78-1, and ‘Cimarron’ exhibited more symptoms. Disease progression over time was rapid for entries exhibiting more symptoms and slow for entries exhibiting fewer symptoms. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) optical densities correlated poorly with the severity of disease symptoms. Trends in the disease progression over time emphasize the importance of rating IYSV symptoms late in the crop's development and to search for delayed disease progression rather than early symptom expression to determine IYSV susceptibility.