Magnetic resonance imaging of sugar beet taproots in soil reveals growth reduction and morphological changes during foliar Cercospora beticola infestation.

ABSTRACT: Cercospora leaf spot (CLS) infection can cause severe yield loss in sugar beet. Introduction of Cercospora-resistant varieties in breeding programmes is important for plant protection to reduce both fungicide applications and the risk of the development of fungal resistance. However, in vivo monitoring of the sugar-containing taproots at early stages of foliar symptoms and the characterization of the temporal development of disease progression has proven difficult. Non-invasive magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) measurements were conducted to quantify taproot development of genotypes with high (HS) and low (LS) levels of susceptibility after foliar Cercospora inoculation. Fourteen days post-inoculation (dpi) the ratio of infected leaf area was still low (~7%) in both the HS and LS genotypes.

SUBMITTER: Schmittgen S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4585413 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Sep

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature