Genetic variability among breeding lines and cultivars of eggplant against Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melongenae from Turkey

Seventy isolates of Fusarium oxysporum (Schlechtend: Fr.) f. sp. melongenae Matuo and Ishigami ( Fomg ), the causal agent of eggplant Fusarium wilt, were tested for their interaction with different lines and cultivars to determine whether there was race-specific interaction. Also, a total of 13 cultivars were tested under greenhouse conditions to evaluate the presence of resistance to Fusarium wilt. The disease severity (%) and the area under disease progress curve (AUDPC) for each of the Fomg isolates were calculated by scale values. Results showed that neither of the resistant lines (LS1934 and LS2436) exhibited wilting symptoms, whereas susceptible local cultivars (cvs. ‘Kemer’ and ‘Hadrian’) displayed severe disease symptoms. There was no significant variation in the virulence, indicating the occurrence of a race or races among 70 Fomg isolates tested on resistant lines and susceptible cultivars. This may indicate a genetically homogeneous population structure of Fomg in Turkey. The eggplant cultivars Amadeo, Anatolia, Angela, Brigitte, Corsica, Hawk, Koksal, Nouma, Sharapova and Yula exhibited various degrees of susceptibility to three virulent Fomg isolates, but disease severity for AGR-703 was significantly different and lower among the tested eggplant cultivars, as well as rootstocks. Therefore, it is considered as the most appropriate for rootstock purposes in eggplant cultivations where Fusarium wilt is present in the soil.