Response of Strawberry Cultivars Inoculated with Macrophomina phaseolina in Australia

Abstract

Macrophomina phaseolina causes charcoal rot in strawberry. The pathogen has a wide host range, is favored by high soil temperatures, and current fumigants are not as effective as methyl bromide. Breeding strawberry cultivars resistant to M. phaseolina has become an important focus. Eleven cultivars were evaluated in a glasshouse trial for resistance to an isolate of M. phaseolina. Plants were inoculated by drenching the potting medium with a suspension of microsclerotia. Plant mortality was recorded for up to 23 weeks. Based on plant mortality and survival analyzes, ‘Albion’ was similarly susceptible as ‘Camarosa’ and a number of historical and current cultivars showed tolerance and/or resistance to the pathogen. The preliminary findings in this study can assist in the development of new strawberry genotypes against M. phaseolina.