Resistance to wilt caused by Verticillium dahliae Kreb. was evaluated for 41 strawberry genotypes from the Univ. of California breeding program and 1000 offspring from crosses among 23 of these genotypes. Runner plants from these genotypes and seedlings were inoculated with a conidial suspension containing a mixture of five isolates of V. dahliae from strawberry. Symptoms were scored as the number of dead or seriously stunted plants per plot, or based on a subjective phenotypic resistance score assigned to each plot on five dates during the spring after planting. Most of the California germplasm is highly susceptible to V. dahliae, with an average resistance score of 2.1 (±0.10) and 84.1% (±2.1) plants stunted or dead compared with a score of 3.2 (±0.24) and 57.4% (±4.9) of plants stunted or dead for a control set of six non-California genotypes identified previously as resistant. However, a broad range of intermediate resistance was detected, and 4 of the 41 California genotypes evaluated had resistance scores superior to the mean score for the non-California resistant checks. Plot-mean heritabilities for resistance and stunting scores estimated using genotypic, full-sib family, and offspring-parent analyses ranged from 0.44 to 0.88. Comparison of different estimates of variance components suggests that half or more of the genotypic variance for resistance traits detected is due to the additive effects of genes. There appears to be sufficient variation within the California population to proceed with an effective selection program, despite the absence of directional selection for resistance during the past 3 decades. However, developing cultivars with adequate resistance will ultimately depend on the recovery of transgressive segregants from superior parents, as even the most resistant genotypes from all sources showed some disease symptoms.

One hundred-eighty six strawberry genotypes from the Univ. of California strawberry (Fragaria ×ananassa Duch.) breeding program were evaluated for resistance to Phytophthora cactorum Schroet. in trials conducted over 6 years; 60 of these genotypes were tested in 2 years or more. Mother plants of each genotype were grown in a propagation nursery beginning in June, and runner plants were set into soil infested with inoculum from a mix of four P. cactorum isolates in August or September of the same year. Runner plants of each genotype were harvested from the inoculated nursery, transferred to a fruiting field location, and evaluated for disease symptoms during the winter and spring following inoculation using a disease severity score. Significant variation for the disease severity score was detected due to years, genotypes, and their interaction. Differences among genotypes were responsible for 60.6% of the phenotypic variance, whereas years and year × genotype interactions contributed relatively little to this variance, 8.2% and 9.3%, respectively. A separate analysis conducted using a balanced subset of six cultivars that were present in all trial years detected variance components due to years and year × genotype interaction slightly smaller than those estimated for the complete trial, 5.0% and 3.9%, respectively. These results highlight the utility of the screening system and suggest that stable resistance to P. cactorum is obtainable in California strawberry breeding populations and production systems.

Strawberry ( Fragaria × ananassa ) seedlings from 50 bi-parental crosses among 20 elite genotypes were evaluated for resistance to Phytophthora cactorum after artificial inoculation. Plots of seedlings or runner plants were rated using a disease severity score and the percentage of stunted plants per plot. The distribution of cross means for percentages of plants with stunting was highly skewed; 79% of the inoculated seedlings showed some level of stunting compared to non-inoculated control seedlings, and all but one of the crosses had 50% or more stunted plants. Disease severity scores for the bi-parental crosses were normally distributed and expressed a range of variation not reflected by the percentage of visibly stunted plants. Factorial analysis based on seedling plot means demonstrated significant additive genetic variance for the disease severity score, and the additive genetic variance was 1·9 times greater than the estimated dominance variance. The cross-mean heritability was for the severity score. Estimates of the additive genetic variance component using the covariance of severity scores obtained from the seedling analysis and with severity scores for their parents evaluated in a commercial environment were similar, and 0·30, respectively. Most of the selection response obtained through genotypic selection would thus be transferred to segregating offspring.

Eight strawberry genotypes known to differ in susceptibility to verticillium wilt were inoculated with eight isolates of Verticillium dahliae originally obtained from six different host crops: strawberry, potato, watermelon, mint, eggplant (aubergine) and cauliflower. Inoculation experiments were conducted in replicated field trials during two successive years. Known susceptible genotypes developed typical symptoms of verticillium wilt in both years. Although isolates manifested a wide range of aggressiveness, differences were significant only on the most susceptible strawberry genotype. Two isolates originating from strawberry were among the most aggressive of the eight tested, whereas the least aggressive isolate was obtained from cauliflower. Six strawberry genotypes that were regarded as resistant to verticillium wilt based on previous tests were also resistant in the present study, regardless of the isolate used. Overall, strawberry genotypes represented the largest source of variation in these experiments, with variance components approximately 10-fold greater than those associated with either isolate or the isolate × genotype interaction. The results suggest it should be possible to develop resistance to verticillium wilt in strawberry that is broadly effective against isolates of diverse host origin.