Summary

In this e-library lesson we have seen that crop loss by V. dahliae can be reduced by breeding resistant cultivars of strawberries. This has the additional benefit of reducing soil fumigation which is costly to apply and requires special equipment. During the study resistance steadily increased to 53.8% of the cultivated germplasm having at least moderate resistance. This was achieved by rating plants by disease progression by runner inoculation and direct genotype selection. Those with the highest average resistance were bred together based on linear regression of the data.  Although complete resistance to V. dahliae has not been developed, strawberries resistant to this pathogen may become an important tool in growing strawberries and other horticultural crops in areas infested with high levels of V. dahliae.