Physiological Responses of Soybean Cultivars to Fusarium solani f. sp. glycines Causing Sudden Death Syndrome

Six soybean cultivars having different SDS susceptibility were planted with sorghum seedinoculum infested with F. solani isolate 171 in the greenhouse. First leaf symptoms appeared on unifoliar leaves at 9 days after inoculation and all cultivars showed the typical leaf symptoms at 13 days after inoculation, when trifoliar leaves emerged. Leaf symptoms development in susceptible cultivars was faster than in resistant cultivars. Leaf symptom severities during the period of 25 to 29 days after inoculation showed a significant difference between cultivars which had SDS resistance and sus ceptibility. In this period, area under the diseaseprogress curve (AUDPC) of Hartz 6686 was the highest and that of PI 520733 was the lowest. SDS caused serious damage to the growth of soybean in all cultivars. Average reductions of growth rate of root fresh weight and dry weight were greater than those of plant tops. Duyu-kong showed less severe leaf symptoms than that of SDS suscetible cultivars; however, average growth rate of plants top and roots of this cultivar was less but not significantly different than those of SDS susceptible cultivars. In all cultivars, as severity of leaf symptoms increased, plant top weight decreased. Root rot symptoms were observed in all cultivars before leaf symptoms appeared. Average proportions of tap root reddish-brown discoloration of all cultivars was up to 75 % at 15 days after inoculati on; however there was no significant differenc between cultivars at each rating date. Appearances of leaf symptoms on leaves varied in each cultivar. SDS resistant cultivars had a significantly higher level of crinkling than susceptible cultivars and SDS susceptible cultivars had a significantly higher level of necrosis than resistant cultivars. Further study will be needed to identify the relationships between the physiological growth rate and SDS severities in soybeans.