Resistance Responses of Plants Regenerated from Peach Callus, Cultures to Xanthomonas campestris pv. pruni

Abstract

A detached-leaf bioassay was used to evaluate peach [Prunus persica (L.) Batsch] regenerants derived from zygotic embryo callus cultures of cultivars Sunhigh (susceptible to leaf spot) and Redhaven (moderately resistant to leaf spot) for resistance to Xanthomonas campestris pv. pruni [(E.F. Sm.) Dews], the causal agent of bacterial leaf spot. Regenerants obtained from calli produced on two `Sunhigh' embryos, #61 and #156, and on three `Redhaven' embryos were evaluated. Sixty-four percent of the regenerants derived from `Sunhigh' embryo #156 and 13% of the regenerants derived from `Sunhigh' embryo #61 demonstrated significantly greater spot resistance than `Sunhigh'. Regenerants with resistance greater than `Redhaven' were also obtained from both `Sunhigh' embryos. The frequency of variation in the `Sunhigh' seedling population, with respect to the response to bacterial leaf spot, was not so great as that exhibited by the regenerants derived from `Sunhigh' embryo #156. None of the `Redhaven' seedlings or any of the regenerants derived from `Redhaven' embryos were more resistant than `Redhaven'. These studies suggest that the frequency of somaclonal variation is genetically determined and that screening for somaclonal variation may be a feasible approach to obtaining leaf spot-resistant peach plants.