Selection for Resistance to the Rhizoctonia-Bacterial Root Rot Complex in Sugar Beet

The Rhizoctonia-bacterial root rot complex continues to be a concerning problem in sugar beet production areas. To investigate resistance to this complex in 26 commercial sugar beet cultivars, field studies and greenhouse studies with mature roots from the field were conducted with Rhizoctonia solani anastomosis group 2-2 IIIB strains and Leuconostoc mesenteroides. Based on means for the 26 cultivars in the 2010 and 2011 field studies, fungal rot ranged from 0 to 8%, bacterial rot ranged from 0 to 37%, total internal rot ranged from 0 to 44%, and surface rot ranged from 0 to 52%. All four rot variables resulted in significant (P < 0.0001) cultivar differences. Based on regression analysis, strong positive relationships (r² from 0.6628 to 0.9320; P < 0.0001) were present among the rot variables. When ranking cultivars, the most consistent rot variable was surface rot, because 12 of 13 variable-year combinations had significant (P ≤ 0.05) correlations. When cultivar ranking in greenhouse assays was compared, there was frequently a positive correlation with storage data but no relationship with field results. Thus, the greenhouse assays will identify storage rot resistance but field screening will be required to find resistance to this rot complex in the field.