REACTION OF SUNFLOWER GERMPLASM TO SEPTORIA LEAF SPOT CAUSED BY SEPTORIA HELIANTHI

ABSTRACT With the objective of evaluating the reaction of sunflower germplasm in relation to the resistance of Septoria helianthi, a study was conducted under field conditions in an experimental area at the Federal University of Santa Maria, Santa Maria, state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, in 2008. The experiment involved 24 genotypes of sunflower, sown by hand in randomized blocks with 4 replications. The rate of disease progress and the area under the disease progress curve (AUDPC) were calculated based on the severity of the disease in the lower, middle and upper thirds of the plants. The more resistant cultivars were PARDISE 33 followed by HLE 16, HLE 17, EXP 1452 CL, V 20041 and SRM 840.