Phenotypic assessment of beetroot linear material for resistance to harmful Fusarium species

Relevance. The creation of a fund of linear material for hybrid breeding of canteen beets based on CMS with a complex of economically significant features, including resistance to highly pathogenic Fusarium species, is an urgent task today. Goal. Identification of the current composition of economically significant causative agents of fusarium rot in beetroot and a phenotypic assessment of the resistance of a promising linear material to highly aggressive Fusarium isolates.
Materials and Methods. Objects of research: 71 isolates of Fusarium fungi isolated over the period 2018-2024 from affected seeds (29 isolates), leaves (10 isolates) and root crops (32 isolates) of table beet; 20 breeding lines and five hybrid combinations of beetroot. Phytopathological and molecular genetic methods were used in the work. Artificial infection of root crops was carried out with mycelial blocks of ten-day cultures of identified Fusarium species. Results. According to the results of the pathogenicity test for beet roots, it was shown that 45% of the isolates isolated into the pure culture were characterized by moderate aggressiveness. Highly aggressive isolates (23% of the number studied) were isolated from the affected head of the root crop, from the leaf vein, root and cotyledon leaves of seedlings. Molecular phylogeny using the TEF-1a and RPB2 genes, combined with morphological characteristics, showed that six Fusarium species participated in the pathogenesis of fusarium rot in beetroot during the years of research in the Moscow region: F. acuminatum, F. avenaceum, F. campestre (FTSC); F. solani (FSSC), F. flagelliforme (FIESC) and F. sporotrichioides (FSAMSC). Among them, the dominant species were F. acuminatum (with the largest proportion of highly aggressive strains) and F. avenaceum. As a result of an immunological assessment of the resistance of linear beetroot material to the highly aggressive F. acuminatum strain (F-cb-38) in vitro , three maternal lines "A" 413, 363 and 404 (Va=82, 85 and 93 mm[3] , respectively) were characterized by the smallest volume of the disc lesion zone; two paternal lines "C" 427 and 426 (Va=20 and 33 mm[3] , respectively). The lines selected for resistance to fusarium in case of artificial infection were characterized by high preservation and during storage on a natural background for five years, and were also distinguished by other economically valuable characteristics, which is important for hybrid beet breeding. 

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