The determination of Exserohilum turcicum virulence factors in Serbia

The determination of Exserohilum turcicum virulence factors and resistance responses of three sets of maize inbred lines (four differential, eight isogenic and 22 commercial inbreeds) to three isolates of this pathogen under greenhouse conditions were studied. The maize inbreeds were selected according to previous testing of resistance based on lesion types in 194 inbreeds under field conditions of plant inoculation with the E. turcicum race 0 (designated as the isolate MRI-Et). The standard procedure was applied to obtained isolates MRIZP-1747 and MRIZP-1416 from resistant and susceptible lesion types, respectively. These lesions were developed on the same leaf of a plant of the experimental hybrid no. 163/99 grown in a nursery at Zemun Polje during 1999. The third isolate (MRIZP-1435) was isolated from a leaf sample originating from the location of Srbobran in which the occurrence of northern corn leaf blight (NCLB), caused by Exserohilum turcicum, was intensive. Based upon virulence/avirulence of three isolates of E. turcicum on differential maize inbred lines, it was found out that the isolate MRIZP-1747 could be classified as race 0, whereas isolates MRIZP-1416 and MRIZP-1435 could be classified as race 1. These are the first results that confirm the presence of race 1 of E. turcicum in Serbia. Not including differential lines, 22 and six lines were resistant to race 0 and race 1, respectively, while eight and five lines were resistant and susceptible to both races, respectively. All isogenic lines not containing the Ht gene were susceptible to both races 0 and 1