Effect of eyespot caused by Oculimacula yallundae and O. acuformis, assessed visually and by competitive PCR, on stem strength associated with lodging resistance and yield of winter wheat

Ray, Rumiana V.; Crook, M.; Jenkinson, P.; Edwards, S.

Abstract

Winter wheat, (cv. Consort) was inoculated with three isolates of either Oculimacula yallundae or O. acuformis to determine the effect of eyespot caused by each species on yield and lodging resistance of winter wheat. Plants were visually assessed for disease incidence and severity, and pathogen DNA was quantified at GS 33 and GS 60. At early milk development of the crop (GS 72), 900 main shoots were also visually assessed for the disease and subjected to mechanical tests for stem strength. Pathogen DNA was extracted from each shoot and quantified using competitive polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Although slight and moderate eyespot lesions caused by either species had no effect on ear weight, severe lesions caused by O. acuformis and O. yallundae reduced ear weight by 3% and 7%, respectively. Stem lodging failed to occur at the site; however, yield losses of 11% for O. acuformis and 6% for O. yallundae were observed. Visual assessment failed to reveal differences between species in their effect on plant characteristics, stem bending strength, or stem safety factor. PCR data, however, showed that the two species had similar effects determined by different DNA concentrations. Both species reduced lodging resistance (stem safety factor) compared with the control. In contrast to healthy plants, where reductions were related predominantly to the height and weight distribution of the plants, the observed reductions of stem lodging resistance in infected plants with Oculimacula spp. were associated primarily with reductions in stem bending strength. © 2006 The Author(s).

Citation

Ray, R. V., Crook, M., Jenkinson, P., & Edwards, S. (2006). Effect of eyespot caused by Oculimacula yallundae and O. acuformis, assessed visually and by competitive PCR, on stem strength associated with lodging resistance and yield of winter wheat. Journal of Experimental Botany, 57(10), 2249-2257. https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erj192

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 13, 2006
• Online Publication Date: Jul 3, 2006
• Publication Date: Jul 3, 2006
• Deposit Date: Feb 13, 2023
• Journal: Journal of Experimental Botany
• Print ISSN: 0022-0957
• Electronic ISSN: 1460-2431
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 57
• Issue: 10
• Pages: 2249-2257
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jxb/erj192
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/3121684
• Publisher URL: https://academic.oup.com/jxb/article/57/10/2249/472216?login=false