The effect of leaf infection by the fungus Mycosphaerella fragariae, on total superoxide dismutase activity and induction of SOD isozymes was studied under controlled conditions using four selected strawberry cultivars: Kent (HS, highly susceptible), Joliette (HR, highly resistant) and two advanced strawberry lines, SJ8976-1 and APF029-4 (MR, moderately resistant). Observations were made of conidia morphology of M. fragariae grown in strawberry leaf agar (SLA) at different stages of conidia development and of infective symptoms of the leaves after inoculation. Inoculation of strawberry leaves with M. fragariae increased protein content and SOD activities in all four cultivars. In all cases, total SOD increased 1 day (d) after inoculation, reaching a peak 2 d after inoculation, and slowly declining thereafter. Total SOD activity in Joliette, SJ8976-1 and APF029-4 two days after inoculation was 4376, 4433 and 4283 U g -1 FW, respectively, and significantly was lower for Kent (3656 U g -1 FW). From the electrophoresis profile of the strawberry cultivars, 2 newly synthesized isozymes were found in infected Joliette and SJ8976-1, (R f = 0.31 and 0.34), which are believed to be associated with leaf spot resistance.

Fusarium Head Blight (FHB), caused by the fungal species Fusarium graminearum, is a disease affecting wheat cultivars across Canada. Recent and severe outbreaks have spurred research in developing FHB-resistant cultivars and evaluating the underlying causes of FHB susceptibility. In this study, the effect of plant height on Fusarium Head Blight in Canadian spring wheat was evaluated over a two-year period. Cultivars of spring wheat varying in origin, height, and disease susceptibility were artificially inoculated with FHB, and the subsequent disease symptoms and height data was collected. It was found that plant height is negatively correlated with FHB incidence and severity. However, varieties originating from Eastern Canada had a much stronger negative correlation between plant height and FHB, whereas the trials with Western Canada origins had a weaker correlation.

Twenty-five hard red spring wheat (Triticum aestivum) lines, including three known cultivars used as checks, were grown in seven locations across Eastern Canada. The objective of this multi-location experiment was to evaluate selected Eastern Cereal and Oilseed Research Centre advanced lines (ECAD lines) from the Spring Wheat Breeding Program in order to identify the best lines for performance and grower trials. The lines from this trial performed very well compared to the check varieties, especially at the Ontario locations. Overall, the ECAD lines were on a par with or superior to the checks in terms of several attributes, including yield, protein content, and Fusarium head blight resistance.