White smut (Entyloma australe Speg.) resistance in tomatillo (Physalis spp.) germplasm

Abstract

Tomatillo (Physalis ixocarpa Brot. ex Horm.) is attacked by a great variety of pathogens, which result in high yield losses, such is the case of white smug (Entyloma australe Speg.). Therefore, the objective was to evaluate the damage caused by white smug in 24 tomatillo materials to determine their resistance and susceptibility, as well as the pathogen's impact on yield. Two production cycles were established: spring-summer and summer-fall in 2017. In the former, yield per plant (kg) was evaluated in two harvest periods carried out 72 and 83 days after transplanting (YP1 and YP2). The size of the fruit was also evaluated in weight (g) of 10 fruits from each harvest (FW1, FW2), volume (mL), total yield per plant (TYP; kg), average weight of the fruits (AFW;g), plant height (PH; cm) and the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC). The last two variables were also evaluated in the second cycle. Accession 12 (JAL 103) had the highest yield, but it was the most susceptible to being attacked by the pathogen, while 26 (48 BNGEN) and 64 (147 BNGEN) were more resistant to this fungus. The varieties with the highest yield and size were Tecozautla 04, Gema, Manzano T and Puebla SM3. However, Tecozutla 04, Manzano T and Gema were the most susceptible to the disease, while Zafiro MSM and Diamante were the least susceptible.