Sensitivity of winter rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) to isolates of the fungus Leptosphaeria maculans (Desm.) Ces. et de Not

The pure cultures of the fungus Leptosphaeria maculans were isolated from the rapeseed leaves collected in Moravia. Two isolates were collected on the basis of their ability to produce yellow colour. The isolate producing yellow colour was classified as aggressive, while the isolate without the ability to produce yellow colour was not aggressive. The sensitivity to these isolates was verified in 11 rapeseed genotypes. This test was based on the method from the document Crucifer Genetics Cooperative (information document from the Department of Plant Pathology, University of Wisconsin). This method is based on the inoculation of cruciferous leaflets with suspension from the isolate of the pathogen observed. The scale from 0 to 9 was used for evaluation (0 = no darkening around the wound, 9 = accompanied by profuse sporulation in large, more than 5 mm, lesions with diffuse margins). The infection degree of the aggressive isolate ranged in different genotypes from 1.45 to 4.5, the results of the non-aggressive isolate ranged from 1.0 to 1.5. Based on these results the aggressive isolate was used for further tests of the selected breeding lines. The tests involved selected breeding materials, registered varieties, control varieties with different sensitivity to the isolate of Leptosphaeria maculans and control varieties included in state trials. The maximal difference in the sensitivity exhibited by individual genotypes was five degrees.