Plasmopara halstedii race 735 in Serbia

Abstract

Downy mildew is common disease of sunflower. If not controlled, damage inflicted on sunflower can be severe. Widely used method of disease control is growing resistant genotypes. Pathogen is adapting to changes in host by gradual spread and in the end dominance of physiological races that overcome host resistance genes. To minimize major damages from such event, determination of pathogen virulence is needed. The aim of this work was determination of P. halstedii races from samples collected in Serbia. Samples of plants with symptoms of downy mildew were collected and analyzed. For virulence determination standardized set of differential lines was used with additional inbred lines. Inoculation of sunflower seedling was done following the WSI method. The most important finding in this research was P. halstedii race 735.