Response of bacterial biovars to inheritance pattern of bacterial wilt disease in tomato

ABSTRACT Knowledge of the genetic control of disease tolerance is necessary for effective transfer of desirable genes in resultant progenies leading to development of disease tolerant cultivars and hybrids. Bacterial wilt (BW) disease-resistant varieties of tomato (Solanum lycopersicum L.) express differential reactions to bacterial biovars distributed in specific regions. Genetic control of host tolerance to BW disease was studied using the generations P1, P2, F1, F2, BC1, BC2 of three tolerant × susceptible crosses (“Utkal Kumari × CLN- 2460E;” “Utkal Kumari × CLN-2764A;” “Utkal Deepti × CLN-2460E”) involving two tolerant (“Utkal Kumari,” “Utkal Deepti”), and two susceptible (“CLN-2460E” and “CLN-2764A”) genotypes exposed to the virulent bacterial biovars III and VI. The inheritance pattern indicated tolerance to BW disease was conditioned by a single dominant gene in three crosses when exposed to both biovars. Genetic control of bacterial wilt resistance did not depend on the interaction between genotype and bacterial biovars tested. Predominance of non-additive gene action and duplicate epistasis for conditioning of first appearance and incidence of BW disease in crosses indicated hindrance in progress through conventional selection. Selection for improvement of BW disease-related traits should be delayed to later segregating generations. The modified bulk method of selection appeared to be best for improving BW disease-related traits of tomato. Tomato hybrids tolerant to BW disease could be developed with the involvement of one parent tolerant to this disease.