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Techniques

A Rapid Technique for Determining Resistance of Slash Pine to Fusiform Rust. J. E. Lundquist, Graduate research assistant, Department of Plant Pathology and Genetics, University of Georgia; Thomas Miller(2), and H. R. Powers, Jr.(3). (2)(3)Research plant pathologists, respectively, USDA Forest Service, Southeastern Forest Experiment Station, Gainesville, FL, and Athens, GA. Phytopathology 72:613-615. Accepted for publication 25 August 1981. This article is in the public domain and not copyrightable. It may be freely reprinted with customary crediting of the source. The American Phytopathological Society, 1981.. DOI: 10.1094/Phyto-72-613.

Slash pine seedlings of 14 half-sib families were tested for resistance to fusiform rust by artificial inoculations with extremely heavy inoculum densities. After 14 days some seedlings within each family had developed red stem lesions. Both the number of lesions per seedling and number of seedlings with lesions were determined for each family and found to be inversely correlated to the proportion of seedlings developing stem galls 9 mo after standard screening inoculations with much lower inoculum densities. These results indicate that the relative resistance of slash pine to fusiform rust can be determined within 14 days by using extremely high inoculum densities.