Assessment of quality of new Rf inbred lines resistant to broomrape rase E (Orobanche cumana Wallr.) developed from H. deserticola by interspecific hybridization

Abstract

Broomrape (Orobanche cumana Wallr.) presents a serious problem in sunflower production in a number of countries. The population of broomrape has been stable in Serbia for a long period of time, but the racial composition has changed in recent years, with race E being predominant in the regions of north Bačka and Banat. Cultivated sunflower is genetically narrow and deficient in many desirable genes. Sources of resistance genes to broomrape can be found in a number of wild sunflower species. New 7 Rf inbred lines (RHA-D- 1, RHA-D-2, RHA-D-5, RHA-D-6, RHA-D-7, RHA-D-8, RHA-D-9) were produced from interspecies population originating from H. deserticola (DES-1474-1) in IFVC. The inbreeding of the selected plants from interspecific populations started in 1995 (S1). The first screening of sunflower Rf lines for broomrape resistance was done in a glasshouse in 1999 (S5). The seed from the resistant plants was tested in infested fields, in the area of S. Miletić and B. Topola during 2000 (S6). Selection of resistant plants was checked from 2001 (S7) to 2003 (S9). The same procedure was conducted in Pačir from 2004 (S10) to 2008 (S14) and in the area of Lipar in 2009 (S15). Experimental hybrids were produced by crossing new Rf lines developed from interspecific population (DES-1474-1) resistant to broomrape race E with cms female lines susceptible to broomrape. The resistance of new 28 experimental hybrids to broomrape was checked on locations in Serbia (Pačir 2006, 2007, 2008) and at the location (Lipar 2009) with three controls: hybrid Bačvanin, resistant to race E, hybrid NS-H-111 resistant to race A, B, C, D, susceptible to E race and line AD- 66 susceptible to all broomrape races. The resistance of the same hybrids was also tested at a location in Romania (Baragan, Braila) in 2008. All examined hybrids were resistant to broomrape race E on all locations.