Screening of selected cotton genotypes (Gossypium spp) for resistance to fusarium wilt disease in Tanzania.

Abstract

Cotton is an important commodity in various industries across the globe; however, cotton yield is adversely affected by the existence of pathogenic fungi included Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. vasinfectum (FOV), the causative of Fusarium wilt (FW), which is among the major disease threatening cotton production in Tanzania. In this study the screening of 25 selected varieties resistance to FOV were done under greenhouse conditions by inoculating the emerged cotton seedlings with 1.0 x 108 conidia/ml of F. oxysporum f. sp. vasinfectum using root cut dip method. The fusarium wilt disease was evaluated based on foliar symptoms (disease severity scaling and vascular coloration). Out of 25 evaluated cotton candidates, three candidates F 135, HC-B4-75 and UK 66 were significantly higher resistant with lower disease severity than others, while QUIT122, IL85, PSF2-1-1 and UK91 have significantly low resistance.