Areolate mildew, caused by Ramularia areola is an important disease affecting cotton in Brazil. A few years ago this disease was of secondary importance since it used to occur almost at the end of the crop cycle. However, in recent years the disease has gained considerable importance in the main cotton growing areas of Brazil. Amongst control alternatives is the use of fungicides and resistant cultivars the latter being preferred. In order to study the inheritance of cotton resistance to R. areola, plant populations derived from the crossing between the resistant line FMT02102996 and the susceptible cultivar FMT 701, were evaluated. These plants were classified as resistant or susceptible by means of artificial inoculation in greenhouse. The segregation test was done through ÷2 test. Results indicated that cotton resistance to areolate mildew is controlled by a dominant gene. This finding can assist in planning cotton breeding programs aimed at incorporating resistance to R. areola in nem cultivars, constituting basic information for the beginning of the genetic mapping of this resistance gene in agronomically desirable cotton cultivars.
Gossypium hirsutum; genetics; inheritance of resistance
