Crown rust severity and its effects on oat panicle characters

Crown rust (Puccinia coronata Esp. avenae) was quantified in four F-3 oat (Avena sativa L.) populations with the objective of studying disease severity and its effects on six panicle characters. Populations used were UFRGS 881920 x UFRGS 7, UFRGS 881920 x UFRGS 14, UFRGS 15 x UFRGS 7 and UFRGS 15 x UFRGS 14, with genotypes UFRGS 881920 and UFRGS 15 being resistant and the others susceptible. Crown rust infection was quantified at flowering stage and near grain maturity 10 plants at random were harvested per crown rust score in each population, and the following determinations were made: number of panicles, mean panicle weight, number of grains per plant and per panicle, grain weight and 1,000 grains weight. Variability for crown rust severity was analised through frequency distribution of crown rust scores in each population. Evaluation of crown rust effects on panicle characters was done through analysis of variance, polinomial regression analysis and phenotypic correlations. Results obtained demonstrate great variation for crown rust severity in the populations studied, and the most affected characters by disease occurence were mean panicle weight and 1,000 grains weight.