VIEW ARTICLE

Cercospora Leaf Spot as a Predisposing Factor in Storage Rot of Sugar Beet Roots. Garry A. Smith, Research Geneticist, Plant Science Research Division, ARS, USDA, Crops Research Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins 80521; E. G. Ruppel, Research Plant Pathologist, Plant Science Research Division, ARS, USDA, Crops Research Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins 80521. Phytopathology 61:1485-1487. Accepted for publication 19 July 1971. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-61-1485.

In two F₂ populations segregating for Cercospora leaf-spot resistance, selection of sugar beet plants for high as compared to low leaf-spot resistance resulted in a 50% reduction in storage rot of harvested roots. Also, the degree of field leaf-spot infection closely paralleled the number of harvested roots that rotted in storage.