Identification of Sources of Resistance against Fusarium Wilt of Safflower

Abstract

A comprehensive field experiment, comprising three replications, was executed at the All India Coordinated Research Project (AICRP) on safflower, situated at the Agricultural Research Station in Annigeri, UAS, Dharwad, during the Rabi season of 2021-22 &2022-23, and was aimed at the assessment of various genotypes in relation to their susceptibility to the predominant wilt disease. In the context of evaluating wilt resistance against F. oxysporum f. sp. carthami, a total of forty-one genotypes or elite materials were subjected to rigorous testing alongside a susceptible control within a wilt-affected plot. Among the forty-one genotypes assessed, twenty-six exhibited a highly susceptible response, while the susceptible check, Nira, demonstrated a wilt incidence of 56.78% at 30 days after sowing (DAS), which escalated to 88.60% at 90 DAS. Twelve genotypes were categorized as having a susceptible reaction, including ISF-123-Sel-15 and GMU-1815. Furthermore, three genotypes displayed a moderately resistant reaction, namely PYT 10-4 and A-2020, whereas DSAF was identified as exhibiting a resistant reaction. This study elucidates that the screening of genotypes for disease resistance constitutes a critical phase in the development of cultivars or hybrids endowed with enhanced resistance to wilt disease.