Identification of resistance to Fusarium oxysporum f.sp lentis in Spanish lentil germplasm

Vascular wilt caused by Fusarium oxysporum f.sp. lentis is a major disease of lentil (Lens culinaris) worldwide. In this study, 196 lentil landraces were screened for resistance under controlled and field conditions. In order to characterize different levels of incomplete resistance, a detailed method was developed to evaluate resistance to this pathogen under controlled conditions assessing symptoms in each leaf separately at weekly intervals and calculating Area under Disease Progress Curve (AUDPC). Consequently, selected accessions were screened in the field and the resistance confirmed. Twelve accession having good levels of resistance were identified. This article provides a new detailed method to evaluate incomplete resistance to the pathogen in lentil and identify new sources of resistance to the disease.