Effect of Sclerotinia sclerotiorum on Sunflower Seeds Quality

Abstract The investigation was carried out at Dobrudzha Agricultural Institute – General Toshevo, Bulgaria, and encompassed the period 2009–2010. The experiment involved four double haploid fertility restorer lines (DH-R-2, DH-R-7, DH-R-116 and DH-R-128), which have shown in our previous studies various degree of resistance to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum de Bary under artificial infection conditions. Ten plants from each investigated line were inoculated by the Straw-method at stage 5-6th pair of leaves. The plants were self-pollinated and the seeds obtained from them, as well as the seeds from the check plants (not infected), were analyzed for the traits 1000 seed weight, % of kernel, oil in kernel and protein content in kernel. Variations in the quality characteristics of the sunflower seeds were found in all investigated lines, the degree of quality “deterioration” having different expression according to the tolerance of the line to the pathogen. Lines DH-R-2 and DH-R-7 formed seeds with lower seed weight and percent of kernel. These seeds had lower oil and protein content. The established variations in the quality of the seeds between lines DH-R-116 and DH-R-128 and the check variants were not statistically significant.