ABSTRACT
Passion fruit is an important fruit vine widely produced and consumed in Brazil. Production and productivity have been threatened by several phytosanitary problems. One of the most important problems is fusariosis, caused by the fungus Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. passiflorae. This disease has no efficient control. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the response of plants of 14 Passiflora species, in the stage of seedling, through inoculation of F. oxysporum f. sp. passiflorae grown in nutritive solution. The species used in the screening were P. quadrangularis, P. nitida, P. foetida, P. tenuifila, P. alata, P. setacea, P. cincinnata, P. mucronata, P. micropetala, P. suberosa, P. morifolia P. eichleriana P. edulis and P. coccinea. Four seedlings of each genotype were inoculated by immersion of roots in a suspension of 1x106 spores mL-1 during 24 hours and then transplanted into pots containing nutritive solution. Plants were daily evaluated during 40 days for the occurrence of wilt symptoms and death. The survival period and the mortality rate were obtained. The method of root immersion for 24 hours and the replacement of soil by nutritive solution were efficient in distinguishing the resistant genotypes. There was intraspecific variability in relation to the disease. The most resistant species were P. foetida, P. mucronata, P. nitida and P. morifolia.
Keywords
Passion fruit; Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. Passiflorae; genetic resistance
