Resistance of petunia phenotypes to Botrytis cinerea

Abstract

Although Petunia hybrida Vilm., a major bedding plant, is susceptible to many diseases, no formal disease resistance studies have been conducted. Botrytis cinerea Pers. ex Fr. is a ubiquitous pathogen, causing great damage to greenhouse-grown ornamental crops, including petunia. In this study, a screening procedure for B. cinerea resistance in petunia was developed and 48 diverse petunia phenotypes were screened for resistance to B. cinerea in two seasons, spring and fall. The range of variability for resistance to B. cinerea in petunia was wide and continuous. Spearman's rank correlation coefficients between seasons were significant and moderate. While the majority of phenotypes displayed less than a 10% difference in mean percent infection in spring vs. fall seasons, several phenotypes displayed large differences that require further testing. One cultivar, 'Pink Sensation Improved', exhibited low and consistent mean percent infection in both spring and fall and, therefore, may be a useful source of resistance to B. cinerea in petunia.