Parental lines and advanced breeding material of castor resistant to wilt disease.

Abstract

Castor is cultivated around the world because of its commercial importance while India is the largest producer of castor. Wilt disease of castor caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. ricini is one of the major diseases influencing serious yield losses. Host plant resistance is one of the best options for managing the wilt disease.Parental lines and advanced breeding material were screened against wilt under sick plot conditions for identification of resistance for three years (2012-13 to 2014-15). Among advanced breeding material screened, 17 preliminary hybrids were highly resistant without wilt incidence and 51 advanced breeding material have shown resistant reaction with < 20% wilt. Out of 167 parental lines screened against wilt disease under sick plot, six lines ie Kh 12-317-2, Kh 12-1498-1, DCS-81, DCS-89, DCS-108 and DCS 120 were highly resistant to wilt with no wilt incidence and 73 parental lines showed resistance. Parental lines DCS-86, DCS-105, DCS-107, DCS-118, DPC-23 and M-571 consistently showed wilt resistance for two consecutive years. These parental lines can be utilized in breeding programme for development of wilt resistant castor hybrids.