Poster: Biology & Disease Mgmt: Postharvest Pathology & Mycotoxins
138-P
Susceptibility of sweetpotato (Ipomoea batatas) cultivars to fungal and bacterial diseases
E. PALENCIA (1), L. Quesada-Ocampo (1) (1) North Carolina State University, U.S.A.
Sweetpotato [Ipomoea batatas], is the number one vegetable crop in the state of North Carolina. This crop is a high-nutrient content food and a great source of pro-vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, and iron. Field and post-harvest diseases cause yield and economical losses during sweetpotato production. Rhizopus soft rot, caused by the ubiquitous R. stolonifer, Fusarium root rot, associated with F. solani and F. oxysporum f. sp. batatas infections, and Streptomyces soil rot, caused by Streptomyces ipomoeae, are among the most detrimental diseases of sweetpotato in North Carolina. Management of sweetpotato diseases through application of antimicrobial chemical compounds is limited since few products are labeled for use in sweetpotato and due to residue restrictions for export markets. Development of cultivars with genetic resistance is the most desirable and economical means of managing plant diseases. The present work was conducted to evaluate sweetpotato genotypes for resistance to economically relevant post-harvest diseases in sweetpotato production. For this purpose, replicated greenhouse and growth chamber experiments were performed to screen for resistance and susceptibility of 16 sweetpotato varieties to 8 microbial isolates. The results suggested that sweetpotato genotypes differed in resistance to the tested phytopathogenic isolates.